Friday, December 27, 2013

Joan Armatrading: "Show Some Emotion"


Released in 1977,
this was Joan Armatrading's
fourth (4th) studio LP.

Joan Armatrading is a well-loved artist
who is still writing, recording and performing.

Read more about Joan Armatrading HERE.




Art Direction: Fabio Nicoli
Sleeve Photography: David Montgomery
Design: Nick Marshall

Lucky Strike's "Remember How Great...?": Various Artists


Released in 1960
as a promotional item
for Lucky Strike cigarettes,
this is a terrific compilation
of well-loved tunes
from some of the hottest
recording artists and performers
of their day.


Thursday, December 26, 2013

Asia: "Asia"


Released in 1982,
this was supergroup ASIA's debut recording.

This band, still recording and performing as of this writing,
has included multiple variations
of at least twenty-two different artists,
originally featuring rock veterans
John Wetton (King Crimson, Family, UK)
Steve Howe (Yes)
Geoffrey Downes (Yes, The Buggles)
and
Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Atomic Rooster)




Cover Design: Roger Dean
Inner Sleeve Photo: Brian Griffin

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Fourth Anniversary!

Well, for what it is worth, (that would be 'fwiw' in text-speak, but thankfully I am not relegated to that here) today marks the beginning of my fifth year of building this online museum.  Since I am not even one-fifth of the way through my current 'holdings' of vinyl LPs to post, if I post the same amount over the next four years as I have during the past four years, then hold that pace constant, I may run out of items to post sometime in the year 2028.

Now, we don't really know what "the internet" will be like in 2028, if indeed the internet or anything roughly analogous to it will exist then.  But, barring any intervening circumstances regarding my health, my ability to log on to a computer, or even to own a computer, or catastrophic meteor strikes, or world-devastating nuclear warfare, or whether 'the LORD tarries,' I should be nearing the end of the pile of LPs I currently have on hand by then.  Of course, I may very well obtain more in the meantime; in which case any attempt at estimating the closing of this blog due to running out of inventory will have to be reconsidered.

It is one of the beautiful things about the availability of recorded music that the supply and variety are seemingly infinite.  These things are not truly infinite, of course; but the quantities are vast enough that no single human being or organization could possibly hope to possess ALL music that was ever recorded.  Nevertheless, the empirical impossibility of the endeavor does not prevent me from wistfully wishing I could see and hear it all.

This 'museum' of my vinyl LP collection is not even all of the recorded music I have possessed.  There are also the audio-cassettes, the CDs, and the .mp3s (and other digital music files).  I do not have the audio-cassettes any more.  I finishing digitizing them about three years ago.  I am certain that my music collections are not even close to being as big as the largest private music collections, but they are more than adequate to my 'needs'; which doesn't mean I am about to stop acquiring new recordings.  No, as long as there are musical recordings being made, and as long as I have the wherewithal to obtain a few here and there, I will continue to add to my collection.

In fact, by this time next year (hopefully a lot sooner, actually) I expect to have in my collection a recording to which I am contributing as a singer and songwriter.  Look for 'Plumbline' coming in about six months to a CD outlet near you; or maybe on iTunes.  Maybe in 2028, someone will be writing a 'blog' or its equivalent, and include our first CD in their ruminations.  Ya never know, eh?

Monday, December 9, 2013

Elvis Presley: "Flaming Star"


Released for wide distribution in early 1969,
this LP is a companion piece for an
NBC-TV holiday special that aired on
3 December 1968.

This was something like Elvis' thirty-second (32nd) LP.

Read more about Elvis Presley HERE.