What Are You Listening To? November 2025

[Unsomnambulist]

Spooky Tooth - Spooky Two (1969)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Aldo Ciccolini - Pianowerken Van Erik Satie (1974)

 

[axolotl]

Daniel Rosenboom Quintet ~ Fire Keeper (2014)

Fire Keeper, by Dan Rosenboom

9 track album

danrosenboom.bandcamp.com

The Quintet // Fire Keeper — DAN ROSENBOOM

The Daniel Rosenboom Quintet is an electrifying ensemble that brings together some of the Los Angeles creative music scene's most distinctive instrumental voices!

danrosenboom.com

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Snocaps - s/t (2025)



Alt-country is not really my thing, but this is a damn good album that holds up to repeat listens.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Tommy Cash - The American Way of Life (1971)

Vinyl Spin of the Day.

Over the years, country music has seen relatively few concept albums other than the ones for which Johnny Cash received well-deserved acclaim during the 1960's. This outstanding effort by brother Tommy slipped under the radar at the time but should have received a lot more attention than it did. The liner notes tell us that Tommy had planned a tribute to the American worker for more than two years and spent 30 hours of studio time assembling it. The 11 job-related songs are tied together with Tommy's spoken word narrations that expresses a stronger level of populist angst that I would have expected from conservative Music Row. Also surprising is to find lawyers, ministers and mailmen included among the truck drivers, waitresses and farmers who so frequently populate country songs. Missing from the album cover is "The Housewife", doubtless because Tommy didn't look too good in drag.

on the Sam-O-Meter.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Feeble Little Horse - Hayday (2021)

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Feeble Little Horse - Modern Tourism (2021)

 

[axolotl]

Feeble Little Horse - Hayday (2021)

Feeble Little Horse - Modern Tourism (2021)

These are rabbit holes I need to follow down.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

These are rabbit holes I need to follow down.

They're both interesting, if somewhat uneven.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Isaac Hayes playlist yesterday

Started today with Yardbirds but wasn't feeling it, so oddly pivoted to Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Isaac Hayes playlist yesterday

Started today with Yardbirds but wasn't feeling it, so oddly pivoted to Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

I have never knowingly heard the Yardbirds.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Caroline Herring - Golden Apples of the Sun (2009)

Contemporary folk with an acoustic, occasionally rural vibe. They'd call this alt country if such a thing still existed.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (1963)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

It's the Music of 1957

Buddy Holly, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Patsy Cline, Jackie Wilson along with Ella, Sonny Rollins, Nat King Cole....also Johnny Mathis, Paul Anka, Connie Francis and "Jingle Bell Rock"

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Caroline Herring - Golden Apples of the Sun (2009)

Contemporary folk with an acoustic, occasionally rural vibe. They'd call this alt country if such a thing still existed.

Check out Snocaps. It is alt-country.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Check out Snocaps. It is alt-country.

Will do!

Elsa Maxwell - Her Music and Voice (1958)

Vinyl Spin of the Day.

Elsa Maxwell (1883-1963) is sadly forgotten by today's audiences. Her gossip column kept her in the public eye while giving her the clout to maintain her long "secret" relationship with Scottish singer Dorothy "Dickie" Fellowes-Gordon. Author, songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality and professional hostess, Elsa could do it all. She even invented the scavenger hunt.

This record consists of spoken word recitations with lush instrumental interludes. Her husky voice, trained by years of radio work, wrapped itself around these semi-poetic tidbits with deft irony.

Trivia note: In the late 1950s, Loretta Swit worked as Elsa Maxwell's personal secretary.

Looked a lot like FDR, didn't she?

 

[Unsomnambulist]

The Yardbirds - For Your Love (1965)



Quite a jump between this and Led Zeppelin.

 

[axolotl]

The Yardbirds - For Your Love (1965)



Quite a jump between this and Led Zeppelin.

I think the first few albums have Jeff Beck playing lead, if I am not mistaken. Jimmy Page shows up a few albums later.

Disclaimer: The foregoing is based on information and belief. YMMV.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You ii (2025)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

I think the first few albums have Jeff Beck playing lead, if I am not mistaken. Jimmy Page shows up a few albums later.

Disclaimer: The foregoing is based on information and belief. YMMV.

Yeah, actually on the original, Clapton is on most of the tracks with Beck on three (more on the extended edition)

Beck is the man on the 1966 big albums (Roger the Engineer, Over Under Sideways Down)

Page would join Beck for a few songs in 1966 but was the guy from 1967-1968, mostly singles and concerts but they did release one US album Little Games which has the instrumental "White Summer" (which was repurposed in Zep shows then in "Over the Hills and Far Away")

So essentially Beck is on much of their recorded output but as far as live, fans were treated to larger stretches of time seeing Clapton and Page as the main guitarists