Losing My Mind - Songs 2016

Songs 2016 - More music released in 2016 that mattered to me.

1. Ancient Cities - Losing My Mind (Supermoon Blackout)
2. Toy - I'm Still Believing (Clear Shot)
3. The Legal Matters - The Cool Kid (Conrad)
4. The Smoking Trees - It's Up To You (The Archer and The Bull)
5. The Sunflower Beans - Easier Said (Human Ceremony)
6. Dead Gaze - Jump (Easy Travels)
7. Allah-Las - Autumn Dawn (Calico Review)
8. Explorers Club - Once In A While (Together)
9. Holy Wave - Wendy Go Round (Freaks of Nurture)
10. DIIV - Out Of Mind (Is The Is Are)
11. The Electric Eye - Never Fade Away (Different Sun)
12. The Wild Feathers - Don't Ask Me To Change (Lonely Is A Lifetime)
13. Acrylics - Keeper Finder (DADA Minor)
14. Starwalker - Everybody's Got Their Own Way (Starwalker)
15. Empty Houses - Hold Your Hand (Daydream)
16. Coastgaard - Old Casino (Devil On The Balcony)
17. The Amazing - Divide (Ambulance)
18. The High Violets - Long Last Night (Heroes and Halos)

Too Rolling Stoned - Songs 1974

Songs 1974

A little more harder rocking collection.

1. Robin Trower - Too Rolling Stoned (Bridge Of Sighs)
2. Hawkwind - The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke) (Hall Of The Mountain Grill)
3. King Crimson - Red (Red)
4. Brian Eno - Baby's On Fire (Here Comes The Warm Jets)
5. Aerosmith - Train Kept A Rollin' (Get Your Wings)
6. Mott The Hoople - Roll Away The Stone (The Hoople)
7. Bad Company - Bad Company (Bad Company)
8. David Bowie - Rebel Rebel (Diamond Dogs)
9. The Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It) (It's Only Rock and Roll)
10. Jefferson Starship - Ride The Tiger (Dragon Fly)
11. Hot Tuna - Easy Now (Phosphorescent Rat)
12. Frank Zappa - Stink-Foot (Apostrophe('))

Time Waits For No One - Songs 1974

Another mix in my Songs 1974 series of music from my collection released that year. As usual, very subjective, very personal.

1. The Rolling Stones - Time Waits For No One (It's Only Rock and Roll)
2. Neil Young - Walk On (On The Beach)
3. Big Star - September Gurls (Radio City)
4. Brian Eno - Cindy Tells Me (Here Comes The Warm Jets)
5. Hall & Oates - 79's Scenario (War Babies)
6. Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (Pretzel Logic)
7. Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us (Kimono My House)
8. Roxy Music - Out Of The Blue (Country Life)
9. The Kinks - He's Evil (Preservation Act 2)
10. Queen - Killer Queen (Sheer Heart Attack)
11. Lou Reed - Sally Can't Dance (Sally Can't Dance)
12. Rod Stewart - Sweet Little Rock 'N Roller (Smiler)
13. David Bowie - Diamond Dogs (Diamond Dogs)
14. New York Dolls - Babylon (Too Much Too Soon)
15. T. Rex - Teenage Dream (Zinc Alloy & The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow)
16. Todd Rundgren - A Dream Goes On Forever (Todd)

I Just Wanna Testify - Songs 1974

Songs 1974
Let's get it on... it's time to get down. Part 2.

1. Ramsey Lewis with Earth, Wind & Fire - Sun Goddess (Sun Goddess)
2. Average White Band - Person To Person (AWB)
3. Stevie Wonder - Boogie On Reggae Woman (Fulfillingness' First Finale)
4. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Natty Dread (Natty Dread)
5. Toots & The Maytals - Take Me Home Country Roads (In The Dark)
6. Al Green - Take Me To The River (Al Green Explores Your Mind)
7. Santana - Mirage (Borboletta)
8. Taj Mahal - Why Did You Have To Desert Me?  (Mo' Roots)
9. Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different (They Say I'm Different)
10. Ohio Players - Skin Tight (Skin Tight)
11. Bill Withers - The Same Love That Made Me Laugh (+'Adjustments)
12. Bobby Womack - Lookin' For A Love (Lookin' For A Love Again)
13. Barry White - Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe (Can't Get Enough)
14. Swamp Dogg - The Mind Does The Dancing While The Body Pulls The Strings (Have You Heard This Story??)
15. Parliament - Testify (Up For The Down Stroke)

Trying to grok it again - Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, 1961

I first read this in April 1975. I've decided to revisit some of the books that I read in my twenties that I think influenced me and to see how they hold up. I had always kept track of my readings in notebooks and then had transferred the lists to documents on my computers. I was eventually able to have a fairly accurate list of my readings from about 1970 that I could add to Good Reads. So now I'm going back and looking at some of those books.

I started this re-reading project scanning my Good Reads list and my book shelves. I've always been a big science fiction fan and Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein and is considered a classic. I saw that it was available from the public library as an e-book and immediately downloaded it. I first read this book in the early 70's while stationed on board a Navy ship. Science fiction paperbacks were traded throughout the ship while we were at sea and I read several of Heinlein's earlier books. This book was a lot different.

Later I read it a second time in 1976 along with many more of Heinlein's later books. I just recently finished reading it again some 40 years later and what did I think? First of all it felt very dated and actually had some very cringe worthy moments.

On The Verge - Songs 1974

I was back home living in the city and going to Temple U after four years overseas and this was the sound of Philadelphia. Funk, soul and disco from albums in my collection released in 1974. Party music. Let's get it on... it's time to get down. Part 1.

1. Funkadelic - Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On (Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On)
2. B.T. Express - Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) (In Yo Face: The History of Funk Vol. 2)
3. James Brown - My Thang (Make It Funky: 1971-1975)
4. The Isley Brothers - Live It Up (Part 1 & 2) (Live It Up)
5. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Lively Up Yourself (Natty Dread)
6. Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces (AWB)
7. Barry White - You're The First, The Last, My Everything (Can't Get Enough)
8. Eddie Kendricks - Boogie Down (Boogie Down!)
9. Labelle - Lady Marmalade (Nightbirds)
10. Rufus - Tell Me Something Good (Rags To Rufus)
11. Stevie Wonder - You Haven't Done Nothin' (Fulfillingness' First Finale)
12. Parliament - Up For The Down Stroke (Up For The Down Stroke)
13. Dionne Warwick & The Spinners - Then Came You (New And Improved)
14. Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat (The Disco Box, Vol. 1)
15. Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye (The Disco Box, Vol. 1)
16. M.F.S.B. - T.S.O.P (The Sound Of Philadelphia) (The Disco Box, Vol. 1)

Wishing You Were Here - Songs 1974

The first set of my Songs 1974 series of music from albums in my collection released in 1974. As usual, a very subjective and personal view of the year in music from my perspective and my collecting.

1. Chicago - Wishing You Were Here (Chicago VII)
2. David Bowie - Rock 'n' Roll With Me (Diamond Dogs)
3. John Lennon - #9 Dream (Walls and Bridges)
4. Electric Light Orchestra - Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Eldorado)
5. John Cale - You Know More Than I Know (Fear)
6. Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway (Sundown)
7. Gram Parsons & Emmy Lou Harris - Hearts On Fire (Grievous Angel)
8. Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight)
9. Stevie Wonder - Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away (Fulfillingness' First Finale)
10. Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman, No Cry (Natty Dread)
11. Ken Boothe - Everything I Own (Everything I Own)
12. Jesse Colin Young - Light Shine (Light Shine)
13. The Hollies - Air That I Breathe (Hollies)
14. Cat Stevens - Oh Very Young (Buddha & The Chocolate Box)
15. Bob Dylan - Forever Young (Planet Waves)
16. Eagles - Ol' 55 (On The Border)

First Reggae Album - Vinyl Spins

Vinyl Spins. The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff

It was cold up on the third floor today but I got some work done while spinning the hot reggae sounds of The Harder They Come soundtrack album featuring Jimmy Cliff released in 1972. This was the first of many reggae albums I would own on vinyl. I saw the film in a neighborhood repertory theater, the Band Box, in 1973 with some friends and then went looking for the album.

I came to love the reggae sounds and built a large collection on vinyl and eventually CDs. In the mid to late 70’s we regularly saw Jamaican reggae bands play live at Grendel’s Lair on South Street in Philly where we spent many long sweaty smoke filled nights on the dance floor. Also one of the highlights of my live music experiences was seeing Bob Marley and the Wailers in concert.

I had made several cruises to the Caribbean islands during my time in the Navy including Jamaica. I heard and saw a lot of calypso, ska and other good time island sounds available to the tourist and servicemen but no dreadlocks, spliffs or hard trance reggae dub beats.

Traveling Light - Songs 2016

The mix of my Songs 2016 series of music from albums in my collection released in 2016. A very subjective selection.




All albums released in 2016.

1. Leonard Cohen - Traveling Light (You Want It Darker)
2. Shovels & Rope - St. Anne's Parade (Little Seeds)
3. Bon Iver - 33?God? (22, A Million)
4. Cass McCombs - Bum Bum Bum (Mangy Love)
5. Alejandro Escovedo - Farewell To The Good Times (Burn Something Beautiful)
6. Passenger - Anywhere (Young As The Morning Old As The Sea)
7. Sarah Jarosz - House Of Mercy (Undercurrent)
8. KT Tunstall - Turned A Light On (Kin)
9. The Lumineers - Cleopatra (Cleopatra)
10. Hamilton Leithauser - In A Black Out (I Had A Dream That You Were Mine)
11. Ryler Walker - The Roundabout (Golden Sings That Have Been Sung)
12. Itasca - Buddy (Open To Chance)
13. Steve Gunn - Heavy Sails (Eyes On The Lines)
14. Ages and Ages - I'm Moving (Something To Ruin)
15. Regina Spektor - The Light (Remember Us To Life)
16. Lera Lynn - Fade Into Black (Resistor)

Four Generations

Katie with her mother, her grandmother and her great-grandmother. Philadelphia, Spring 1985. In the backyard of the house on Evergreen Avenue, Chestnut Hill.

Four generations of moms.

There was a container full of toys in the living room in a vinyl covered foot stool that we played with when we were kids. Katie sat there on the floor that day and played with the same toys.