the pips

growin up, i had a strange fixation with gladys knight & the pips. they seemed to be on every show constantly ... this was the era of the variety show. actually, it wasn't to gladys knight and the pips, it was the pips, and it wasn't the pips, it was this one guy in the pips. i'm not going to even try and figure out his name. it wasn't a sexual fixation, it was something along the lines of 'i kinda know you' (dude in the middle). anyways, i got over it i suppose, they stopped showin up on tv, and i stopped watchin.

anyways, michael shelley played this tune of just pips and funk bros on his WFMU show today and it's awesome (no knock on gladys-- midnight train is still one of my all-time faves)! i spend saturday morn's with the boy and we fire his most excellent show up every week.

for the love of god

can we put a stop to this endless parade of old white guys. i know it's the super bowl, lowest common denominator and all that, but do we really need to hear baba o'reilly/won't get fooled again/who are you another time???? i'm struggling to come up with a less inspired choice. hmmm, is the game on cbs this year? maybe all the csi cast members can join on stage

... shame on me, who am i to pass up a piss break?

try me

kickin myself for missing syl johnson's set at the music hall tomorrow night. resurrected by the eccentric soul series, he's on the road as part of their eccentric soul revue. this cut from '67 is tha bomb.

i don't feel like going into the whole eccentric soul thing now, but it's an amazing collection of records. try google.

wow

this is crazy! eddy fronted the amazing equals and had a hit in the 80s. this, is genius.

the new list

the mission:

to create a list of the best 25 albums of the 1970s.

why?:

in the tradition of the first godihateyourband list of the top 100 songs since 1950, we're now focusing on decades, starting with the 70s, cause frankly, after that initial 60s rout, i could care less about revolver vs. sgt. peppers. let's hit a decade when monster rockers started putting out CRAPPY records!

what?:

your list of the top 25 albums of the 1970s (1 being the best)

potential potholes:

a) aka, the "london calling quandary". the record dropped in britain in december 1979. US was in january 1980. use your best judgement. after many emails back and forth with the GIHYB braintrust, I've decided not to care. i mean, who releases a record in december???? fools!

b) compilations that include material from earlier decades. we're going to have to treat on a case by case basis. the sun sessions will be tough ... the red and the blue beatles albums will not be tough.

deadline:

monday, december 14

feel free to include comments with your selections, and pass on to anyone that isn't an idiot. submissions should be emailed to:

info@reeltoreelrecords.com

xoxo,

GIHYB

it's new to me

the low anthem, oh my god, charlie darwin

apparently this album's over a year old. nonesuch rereleased it over the summer. i heard my now favorite song of the year (take that personal and the pizzas!) "horizon is a beltway" on some radio station last week. "horizon" is the kinda song that made the first marah record sound so great. that wedding of banjo & exile pomp, but with a more dustbowl mentality. like the aforementioned marah, there's a shitload of different instruments on here. the trio apparently switch about alot-- but it ain't in some grand fucking orchestration, it's just kinda there. and i kinda dig it. now, i hate to sound like a jarhead dummass, but the rockers on this record are fucking great. they stomp, they bang, they've got a strain of shane in em (not anything in an overt sense, but the attitude's appreciated). it's the goddamn slow songs that are the confusing ones-- and it ain't a small problem, well over half the record is slow. in fact, the leadoff (almost) title track "charlie darwin" is an excruciating 4:33 of that WAY overused indie falsetto bullshit. had i not heard "horizon" before, there's some doubt I would have continued. the slowers are about 50/50 ("to ohio" & "omgcd" are standouts), but all n all, check it.

this

blows my mind that they played this (somewhat credibly) in '07, and forever trumps me in the ongoing beatles vs. stones argument w/ xmastime. check .... mate.