On The Cover Of The Rolling Stone

I'm sure there is nobody that has not seen or at least not heard about the latest cover of the iconic magazine, Rolling Stone. Just when you think nothing could surprise you, something does. People want to do something to set them apart from everybody else and in trying to accomplish this their actions are getting more shocking. Reality shows are the biggest culprits, causing mental anguish, physical injuries and even death, but man's installable appetite for drama feeds these productions. The editors and writers know this and will use this to sell their publications. We can't stop them but we can stop eating the hash that they cook.

I was an avid reader of the magazine many years ago and I was a subscriber for a few years, I even have a few collectible editions in my library, but now I only read it if there is something published that interests me.

This latest issue does not fall in either category, I refuse to read it nor will I buy I for my collection, but I'm sure some people will put it away hoping that the controversy will cause it to have some value in the future.

Maybe that was the motive behind the issue, to bring attention to the magazine and get it back in the public eye. It worked for me because I haven't read it in quite a while nor do I know of anyone that reads it on a regular basis. I think it would have been just as effective if they had done a collage of the heroes of the Boston Marathon bombing.

To glorify a radical that has denounced the United States and caused death and injury to innocent people is appalling, to say the least. In today's electronic age, where some papers and magazines have stopped printing hard copies or have gone out of business, is this really a wise move for Rolling Stone Magazine?

This is just one more item for Rolling Stone Magazine to put on its list of controversial covers.

Bit 'A Sweet - Hypnotic 1

The band Bit 'A Sweet spent the 60's in the discotheques of New York City with their brand of psychedelic-pop style of rock. Hypnotic 1 is the only album that they produced.

The opening tune, "Speak Softly", showcases what the band is capable of and highlights their psychedelic-pop sound. "2086" gets weird and spacey with some interesting sound effects but the song is catchy and it may get stuck in your head. The third track is a Beatles cover of, "If I Needed Someone", and once I got past the special effect intro I found it to be a nicely done version. "With Love" is a good pop tune spiced up with a psychedelic feel thanks to the effects on the vocals. The last track on side one, "Monday-Tuesday", takes you back to the dawn of recorded music and adds a air of mystique to the band.

Side two begins with, "Diamond Studded Eyes", it has an intro which reminds me of a funeral march but the verses have an upbeat sound and the ending goes into a bit of weirdness. "How Can I Make You See" is a very good cover by the Cowsills. The next tune, "Travel", is an excellent instrumental that could be used in a movie soundtrack. The album finishes with, "A Second Time", it is eight and half minutes long and is a roller coaster of musical expressions, from the heartbeat intro to the tolling bell outro.

This album is a fine example what a good songwriter combined with talented musicians can accomplish. It was released on CD in 2011 with two extra tunes and is worth a listen for anyone that likes to get groovy.

The Beatles Infamous Butcher Cover

Through out the history of the music industry artists and labels have had their disagreements about their public image, their royalties, lyric contents and even the album covers. The latest feature on the final vinyl are album covers that the labels or the artists used that caused public outrage and or upset the censors. Some of these covers are now highly prised by collectors and can command a hefty price. Possibly the most valuable would be The Beatles infamous "Butcher" cover, I found an article from PBS, written by Dennis Gaffney, below is a summary of this article.

The most repeated story about the butcher cover is that the Beatles made the album cover because they thought Capitol Records was "butchering" the English-market versions of their albums in order to make more money. The company had reshuffled songs on the English releases, reducing the number of songs on each album in order to turn three English albums into four American ones.
In 1991 the photographer who took the butcher cover, Robert Whitaker, stated in an interview with Goldmine magazine, that the cover was a satirical take on the Beatles fame. He said the idea for placing the Beatles with dismembered dolls and raw meat was his, and called the theory that it was a protest against Capitol records "rubbish and absolute nonsense." The butcher photos are printed in Whitaker's book, The Unseen Beatles, Whitaker stated that, "I was trying to show that the Beatles were flesh and blood."
John Lennon, in an interview shortly before his death in 1980, said the shot was "inspired by our boredom and resentment at having to do another photo session and another Beatles thing. We were sick to death of it." Paul McCartney told Capitol's former president, Alan Livingstone, that "It's our comment on the war," referring to the war in Vietnam.
Whatever the reason, Capitol printed hundreds of thousands of the Butcher album covers then had second thoughts, and pulled them from distribution in order to paste on a more presentable portrait of the Beatles sitting around an open trunk, which was another Whitaker photo. But a few Butcher covers slipped through, and because of their rarity they have become a prized possession of Beatles collectors. In December of 2005 a very rare stereo version sold at auction for $10,500.
The lively hood of an artist depends on their public acceptance, sure they can have fans but if the masses do not accept them then they are making music just for their own pleasure.

The band Missouri and their debut album

The band Missouri is named from the state that it hails from and they only released two albums. They toured up until 1984, but money was getting scarce and a new record deal could not be found so they packed it up.

The first side starts with a nice intro to their one hit song, "Movin' On". It has a nice moderate beat with good lyrics and it can still be heard on radio stations in the Midwest. "Got That Fever" steps up the beat but then it is slowed down by the next track, "I'm Still Tryin". When I listed to "You're Alright", I could hear the influence of Creedence from the vocals to the rhythm guitar and I found it to be a pleasant diversity from the preceding songs. The first side ends with, "Really Love You" which I found to be a good upbeat song with decent lyrics and melody.

Side two starts with "Hold Me" which is just a plain good rocking tune then things get funky with "I Know Its Love". "Come On Move" is aptly named 'cause this song's got rock and it is followed by "Goin Home", which I found had nothing special about it, just good music. "Mystic Lady" brings more of the keyboards upfront and that gives the album more variety to put a nice ending to the album.

All said and done there is enough good music on this album to entice me to find a copy of their second album and give it a spin on the turntable.

Alvin Lee Is Gone But His Music Isn't

I remember the first song that I heard by Ten Years After was, "I'd Love To Change The World", from, "A Space In Time", album. I knew then that I had to get more of their albums and soon after I heard their performance at Woodstock and Alvin Lee became one of my guitar heroes.

His style was one of the inspirations that drove me to learn how to play guitar.

A while ago, at a previous job, one of my co-workers was boasting that he had filled his ipod and that a lot of it was music from the 70's. I asked him what songs did he have from Ten Years After, and he said, who! I was very surprised and commenced to tell him all about Alvin Lee and my favorite Ten Years After albums. I hope he took my advice and made some room on his ipod.

I was saddened when I heard of Alvin's passing as yet another music icon leaves us their legacy in vinyl, video and CD.

Quill - The band from Boston to Woodstock

This is the original Quill that came from Boston in the late 60's, not the band named Quill from California or the one from England or The Quill from Sweden. This album has been in my collection for a while and I may have listened to it once, although I do not recall putting it on the turntable, what a shame. Quill released this album after they had performed at Woodstock but it didn't go anywhere and is now a sought after collectable.

The opening track, "Thumbnail Screwdriver", is a nice slow driving tune with a good guitar sound and nice vocals. Track two, "The Tube Exuding", surprised me, the beginning did not show much promise but as it evolved I found myself wondering where it was going next. The final song on side one, "They Live the Life", is nine minutes on a progressive rock ride but surprisingly it doesn't seem that long.

Side two begins with, "BBY", which I feel sounds like Zappa meets Floyd or in other words, an alternate progressive pop rock tune. It is followed by, "Yellow Butterfly", which is a very groovy trip into a psychedelic land. At times it could pass for a Pink Floyd tune, when Syd Barrett was still in the band. Next up is the song, "Too Late", and it is the only tune with commercial appeal. It has good lyrics, harmonies and is upbeat. Afterwards is, "Shrieking Finally", this really shows their talent for composing and is a fitting song to end the album.

I do not know why I have ignored this album for so long but I will be putting it on my top 100 play list. It was released on CD in 2010.

Tiny Alice's only album

Tiny Alice, is from Cleveland, Ohio, and they were a seven member band that had only this single album from 1972 and it is a mix of musical styles with a dash comedy.

Track one, "Doctor Jazz - The Chocolate Dandies of 1932" is, as the title mentions, a jazz number that introduces the band in a nightclub setting. It reminds me of a comedy song of the 1930's. Track two, "Freeze To Me Mama" sounds a bit like John Mayall's, "Room To Move". The following track, "Stock Exchange of Love" is a bluegrass tune with a good play on words about love. "Got Me Going," is what I call a light hearted pop song with violin and sax that transitions into the fifth track, "Southbound". This country song is upbeat and I think it is the best track on this side. "Rainbow Song" ends this side on a happy go pop feel.

The second side starts on a very melancholy note with, "Times are Getting Hard" but picks up with, "Oranges and Blues", a very nice folk rock song. The third track, "15¢ Hamburger Mama" is an upbeat comedy poking fun at the fast food hamburger joints. "A Word From Our Sponsor" is a satire about the Kent State riot of 1970 using the melody from the Kent cigarette commercial and it slides into, "Guarantees". This song is a boogie with a long intro before the vocals start but it has a good beat, which prevents it from being boring, and then it literally drives in the final track, "The Whistle Poem". This is a recital of a humorous poem and it has a nice punch line.

All said this album is worth the listen and makes a fine addition to a vinyl collection.

Blodwyn Pig - Ahead Rings Out

The latest band on the Final Vinyl is the British band, Blodwyn Pig, and I have their debut album, "Ahead Rings Out", it is the American release on A&M Records. The American version has some different songs then the British release.

The first song, "It's Only Love", I can only describe as a boogie with brass. Jack Lancaster plays a solo with a baritone and soprano sax, simultaneously. Track 2, "Dear Jill" is a nice bluesy number followed by, "Walk On The Water" which starts mellow and then goes up tempo. The final track on side one, "The Modern Alchemist" is a jumping, jazzy, jam, very nice.

Side two starts with "See My Way", a good rocking tune, and is followed by the track, "Summer Day". It has a riff which is very similar to a Spooky Tooth song. "The Change Song" is a nice acoustic number with some verbal comments at both ends. "Backwash" is fifty-one seconds of mellow acoustic guitar and flute which leads into the final track, "Ain't Ya Coming Home?", the publisher omitted the word, babe, from the end of the title. This is my favorite cut on the album, it is heavy and driving, not your standard three chord 4/4 beat.

This album is a definite, listen to it more than once, gem.

Updating the Final Vinyl Blog

Just want to say that I have not abandoned this blog, I just get so busy with life and the many other things that I enjoy doing that this falls to the bottom of the list. I'm going to start doing reviews of the albums that are on my website and then post my comments on this blog. I have a least one album from every band that is listed on The Final Vinyl and will pass on my thoughts about them. I will also make an effort to post the music on the Final Vinyl's YouTube channel. I have posted several videos and will be adding more as time permits.

Classic rock radio stations

I get so upset with commercial FM stations and the way they play the same songs. The only stations that play the other songs from an artist are the ones that are not on the corporate payroll. In the area where I live a company bought the majority of the stations and turned them into commercial music meat grinders. They play the “best country" and the "best new music" and the "best classic rock", over and over. They do not do this for the love of music but to maximize their profit. Only the independent stations play music for the enjoyment of it but sadly these stations are harder to find. I can sometimes get a whisper of these true music fans on my radio but it soon fades out as the commercial stations blast the airwaves.

The internet and satellite radio are the places to hear a variety of music that is reminiscent of days when FM radio was dominated by the DJ and not the paid voices that play what corporate tells them to.