Zeeba Neighba
Staff member
Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West (1997)
What Are You Listening To? February 2026
- Thread starter Zeeba Neighba
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Unsomnambulist
Staff member
Smashing Pumpkins - The Rubano Tapes Vol. 1 (2024)
Ojai Sam
Staff member
The Firesign Theatre - Dear Friends (1972)
flisten
This double LP consists entirely of material from The Firesign Theatre's radio program. Looser and more improvisational than their regular albums, this was an unexpected pleasure. A real highlight is their sendup of the "Highway Patrol" TV series.
on the Sam-O-Meter. 2150 bye!
flisten
This double LP consists entirely of material from The Firesign Theatre's radio program. Looser and more improvisational than their regular albums, this was an unexpected pleasure. A real highlight is their sendup of the "Highway Patrol" TV series.
on the Sam-O-Meter. 2150 bye!
Unsomnambulist
Staff member
The Creeps - Enjoy The Creeps (1986)
Ojai Sam
Staff member
Perfect music for reading Robert Reich.
Ojai Sam
Staff member
Pola Negri - Succes et Raretes (rec. 1931-38. Chansophone comp. 1992)
Over the years, there have been many collections of songs by Hollywood stars who should have avoided the recording studio like the plague. One might think that Pola Negri, nee Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec (1897-1987), who arrived on the scene during the silent film era, belongs in this category, but that is far from being the case. Her meteoric life and career from her birth to impoverished nobility in Poland to movie stardom in both Europe and Hollywood to her final years of obscurity in San Antonio, Texas makes a fascinating study.
Less well known than her film work is her extensive career as a recording artist. The French reissue label gathered all 10 of her singles, recorded between 1931 and 1938. They reveal her to be a highly effective singer, somewhat in the style of Marlene Dietrich but less mannered.
As Wiki tells us,
"In 1931 she recorded seven gypsy folk songs in London accompanied by guitars and chorus, six of which were released as the sides of three records on Victor's His Master's Voice imprint. She recorded a French-language version of "Paradise" in Paris in 1933 with "Mes Nuits sont Mortes" as its flip side. (Sheet music was released for the English-language version, but the recorded version only appeared in the 1932 film, A Woman Commands, and was never released as a record.) The remainder of Negri's recordings, cut [in Berlin] from 1935 to 1938, centered around songs that she sang in her German sound films."
As a nice touch, Chansophone included both sides of Rudolph Valentino's rare 1923 single. After meeting at a costume party, she and Valentino (1895-1926) were apparently lovers between and among her affairs with Charlie Chaplin, Rod la Rocque and Prince Serge Mdivani of Georgia. According to Wiki:
"She caused a media sensation at [Valentino's] New York funeral on 24 August 1926, at which she "fainted" several times, and according to actor Ben Lyon, arranged for a large floral arrangement that spelled "P-O-L-A" to be placed on Valentino's coffin.
The press dismissed her actions as a publicity stunt. At the time of his death and for the remainder of her life, Negri claimed Valentino was the love of her life."
Pola and Rudy
Over the years, there have been many collections of songs by Hollywood stars who should have avoided the recording studio like the plague. One might think that Pola Negri, nee Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec (1897-1987), who arrived on the scene during the silent film era, belongs in this category, but that is far from being the case. Her meteoric life and career from her birth to impoverished nobility in Poland to movie stardom in both Europe and Hollywood to her final years of obscurity in San Antonio, Texas makes a fascinating study.
Less well known than her film work is her extensive career as a recording artist. The French reissue label gathered all 10 of her singles, recorded between 1931 and 1938. They reveal her to be a highly effective singer, somewhat in the style of Marlene Dietrich but less mannered.
As Wiki tells us,
"In 1931 she recorded seven gypsy folk songs in London accompanied by guitars and chorus, six of which were released as the sides of three records on Victor's His Master's Voice imprint. She recorded a French-language version of "Paradise" in Paris in 1933 with "Mes Nuits sont Mortes" as its flip side. (Sheet music was released for the English-language version, but the recorded version only appeared in the 1932 film, A Woman Commands, and was never released as a record.) The remainder of Negri's recordings, cut [in Berlin] from 1935 to 1938, centered around songs that she sang in her German sound films."
As a nice touch, Chansophone included both sides of Rudolph Valentino's rare 1923 single. After meeting at a costume party, she and Valentino (1895-1926) were apparently lovers between and among her affairs with Charlie Chaplin, Rod la Rocque and Prince Serge Mdivani of Georgia. According to Wiki:
"She caused a media sensation at [Valentino's] New York funeral on 24 August 1926, at which she "fainted" several times, and according to actor Ben Lyon, arranged for a large floral arrangement that spelled "P-O-L-A" to be placed on Valentino's coffin.
The press dismissed her actions as a publicity stunt. At the time of his death and for the remainder of her life, Negri claimed Valentino was the love of her life."
Pola and Rudy
Zeeba Neighba
Staff member
So this week among other things (like catching up on Bad Bunny in preparation for the Super Bowl) doing a chronological listen of Pink Floyd.
I’ve done The Beatles, Stones, Bruce, Sinatra, Marley, Zeppelin etc in the past but oddly never Floyd
And although I’m sure that I’ve played More and Obscured by Clouds at some point over my life, it’s been too long to remember (and gotta say don’t know if I need to spin More again.
Tomorrow Ummagumma which I have on vinyl (but still haven’t played in awhile)
I’ve done The Beatles, Stones, Bruce, Sinatra, Marley, Zeppelin etc in the past but oddly never Floyd
And although I’m sure that I’ve played More and Obscured by Clouds at some point over my life, it’s been too long to remember (and gotta say don’t know if I need to spin More again.
Tomorrow Ummagumma which I have on vinyl (but still haven’t played in awhile)
Zeeba Neighba
Staff member
Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother (1970)
axolotl
Nunquam non paratus
That reminds me.Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother (1970)
I haven't had my psychedelic breakfast yet.
Ojai Sam
Staff member
Various Artists - Fifteen Star Saxophones (Bethlehem 1960)
By 1960 when this record was released, Bethlehem Records had been taken over by Sydney Nathan who supplied a desperately needed infusion of cash. At King Records, Syd had learned how to monetize a large back catalog so he applied the same skills here.
This collection put together a dozen tracks from albums recorded between 1954 and 1957 but the concept was unusual. Jazz anthologies almost invariably focus on an artist or a label. Here, the songs were selected to spotlight the sax players. Whether or not he was the nominal leader of the session, the sax man got label credit here. And a fine collection of blowers they are, playing a variety of instruments:
Zoot Sims, tenor sax
Jimmy Giuffre, baritone sax
Hal McKusick, alto sax
Ernie Wilkins, alto sax
Frank Wess, tenor sax
Charlie Fowlkes, baritone sax
Charlie Mariano, alto, tenor sax
Bill Holman, tenor sax
Bud Freeman, tenor sax
Dexter Gordon, tenor sax
Jimmy Hamilton, tenor sax
Johnny Hodges, alto sax
Russell Procope, alto sax
Paul Gonzalves, tenor sax
Harry Carney, baritone sax
Paul Quinichette, tenor sax
Charlie Rouse, tenor sax
Gene Quill, alto sax
John Coltrane, tenor sax
Al Cohn, baritone sax
This album seems to be very hard to find. Only 3 copies are shown as "haves" on Discogs. I assembled it the same way wily ol' Syd did, by harvesting the tracks from the original albums.
Doesn't every record executive have a can of lighter fluid right in the center of his desk?
By 1960 when this record was released, Bethlehem Records had been taken over by Sydney Nathan who supplied a desperately needed infusion of cash. At King Records, Syd had learned how to monetize a large back catalog so he applied the same skills here.
This collection put together a dozen tracks from albums recorded between 1954 and 1957 but the concept was unusual. Jazz anthologies almost invariably focus on an artist or a label. Here, the songs were selected to spotlight the sax players. Whether or not he was the nominal leader of the session, the sax man got label credit here. And a fine collection of blowers they are, playing a variety of instruments:
Zoot Sims, tenor sax
Jimmy Giuffre, baritone sax
Hal McKusick, alto sax
Ernie Wilkins, alto sax
Frank Wess, tenor sax
Charlie Fowlkes, baritone sax
Charlie Mariano, alto, tenor sax
Bill Holman, tenor sax
Bud Freeman, tenor sax
Dexter Gordon, tenor sax
Jimmy Hamilton, tenor sax
Johnny Hodges, alto sax
Russell Procope, alto sax
Paul Gonzalves, tenor sax
Harry Carney, baritone sax
Paul Quinichette, tenor sax
Charlie Rouse, tenor sax
Gene Quill, alto sax
John Coltrane, tenor sax
Al Cohn, baritone sax
This album seems to be very hard to find. Only 3 copies are shown as "haves" on Discogs. I assembled it the same way wily ol' Syd did, by harvesting the tracks from the original albums.
Doesn't every record executive have a can of lighter fluid right in the center of his desk?
axolotl
Nunquam non paratus
This was well before the State required cancer warnings for record executives.Doesn't every record executive have a can of lighter fluid right in the center of his desk?
Ojai Sam
Staff member
There were those who said that dealing with Syd could be hazardous to your health.
axolotl
Nunquam non paratus
Did he smoke cigars, too?
Unsomnambulist
Staff member
No, he didn't smoke. The lighter fluid was for setting artists on fire when they wouldn't agree to his terms.
axolotl
Nunquam non paratus
Did he use a civilian-style flamethrower, then?
Ojai Sam
Staff member
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