November 10, 2022
New This Week At The Shop
Regular readers of this newsletter (bless you all) are likely familiar with our unending love for the works of pianist, harpist and composer ALICE COLTRANE. Fresh sets of 21st century ears and eyes have led to a reassessment amidst critics and fans, putting her on a similarly elevated plane as her wedded partner in explorations beyond jazz, John Coltrane. For many, she achieved her absolute peak on 1970's 'Ptah, the El Daoud', an explosive set of spiritual universes featuring Pharoah Sanders, Joe Henderson and Ron Carter, completely let off the leash. In recent years, this has become the hardest Alice LP to come by, so we are indebted to this new Verve edition, given a fresh cut and stamp from the merry men at Third Man Pressing. ROBERT GLASPER's scene-shaking 'Black Radio' gets an expanded 10 year reissue, and the Motown label resurrects some essential listening from their "Black Forum" sublabel focusing on speeches of the civil rights movement, with records from DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR and LANGSTON HUGHES.
We call ourselves a record store, but for the majority of the last couple of years we have not had any copies of JONI MITCHELL's 'Blue' in the house, so really....who are we kidding! That's rectified now with a big delivery of a brand new, freshly remastered edition on crystal clear vinyl. See some folks you dig, kiss a sunset pig, and get yourself a copy of this if it ain't already in your home. Ageless male BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN hips us to the secret of his success on 'Only The Strong Survive', his first-ever album of covers, in the house on limited orange vinyl with an etching. Don't play the etching though! It's just for lookin at. A couple of seriously rare gems of the early psychedelic folk galaxy come thru as well: the vast, twilit landscape of Japanese group THE JACKS' 68 album 'Vacant World' is reissued, alongside some gorgeous unheard private press guitar/vox ruminations from ROBERT LESTER FOLSOM on 'Sunshine Only Sometimes'.
SHARON VAN ETTEN adds four never-before-on-vinyl tracks and a huge poster to create a deluxe edition of 'We've Been Going About This All Wrong', in house on delicious custard vinyl. Once a member of One Direction alongside uh, crap...tip of my tongue, some other guys...LOUIS TOMLINSON now leans into his solo career with a well-anticipated new disc called 'Faith In The Future'. Our copies are on black and red splatter wax. We've also got new material in the building from VANCE JOY with 'In Our Own Sweet Time', and the latest from CHRISTINE & THE QUEENS.
Upstart duo DOMI & JD BECK must have a strange definition of "tight", as their Blue Note debut 'Not Tight' is certainly not lacking. If the fleet-fingered, jubliant modern fusion of Thundercat and Brandon Coleman is your thing, this is your jam. Anderson.Paak himself has released it on his new 'Apeshit' sublabel, and he's got some of his rowdy friends around lending vocals, like Snoop Dogg, Thundercat and....Mac DeMarco? Why not. Veteran electronic composer DANIEL AVERY turns in his most expansive album yet with Ultra Truth, and we've got new color vinyl editions of albums from GOLD PANDA and THE CRYSTAL METHOD.
I still remember the day my cousin brought home both CD editions of GUNS N ROSES outlandish simultaneous double album 'Use Your Illusion 1' and 'Use Your Illusion 2', sometime back in 91, and brandished them before me like stolen jewels. I also remember the next day, when my uncle threw both of them in the trash, and hours of screaming between the two of them commenced. Hopefully your experience with these luxurious reissues of G'n'R's defining works are much more enjoyable. JERRY CANTRELL's elusive solo album 'Brighten' is here on electric blue vinyl with glow in the dark sleeve art. Props to DROPKICK MURPHYS, who have seen some things going down in their neighborhood that they don't approve of, and respond with an album of Woody Guthrie covers called 'This Machine Still Kills Fascists'.
Rap stuff new and old rolls through this week, with a new solo jawn from Flatbush Zombies' MEECHY DARKO called 'Gothic Luxury', and reissues of Run The Jewelsman EL-P's 2007 album 'I'll Sleep When Youre Dead', 2PAC's 'All Eyez On Me', and DR. DRE's '2001'. Hold up, heyyy.
Rockness new and old is in with new releases from SPORTS TEAM and ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, and reissues of VERUCA SALT's 'American Thighs' and SAVES THE DAY 'Stay What You Are', in stock on the deeply-underrated double 10" format.
Having mangled every guitar in his vicinity, Philadelphian sideman extraordinaire BILL NACE (Body/Head) has moved on to instrument building, evidenced on the phenomenal 'Through A Room'. Paddy Shine of psych heavies Gnod heads for greener pastures as MOUNDABOUT, on a delightfully exploratory record of trancy, geological journeys through ancient Irish stone tombs called 'Flowers Rot Bring Me Stones'. Turkish solo artist ISIK KURAL's inviting album of outwardly reflective ambient folk 'in february' is in on red vinyl, for fans of Colleen or Ichiko Aoba, and the Sahel arts group WAU WAU COLLECTIF delivers another great album of propulsive trad/pop mutations.
Last up, some reissues of hard to find classics across the spectrum: JOE BATAAN's 'Salsoul', JOHNNY ADAMS' 'South Side Of Soul Street', T-BONE WALKER's 'Stormy Monday Blues', and garage kings THE TRASHMEN best-of set is repressed on orange wax.
Used Vinyl Alert
Many jazz gems to be had in this week's Used Vinyl Alert! A sweet combination of contemporary and original pressings from hard bop to modal to soul jazz. Artists include John Coltrane, Bobby Hutcherson, Jimmy Smith, Ornette Coleman, Grant Green, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, Dexter Gordon, Charles Earland, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, & many more.
We continue the contemporary pressings this week with a strong selection of hip hop, R&B, & pop from Talib Kweli, Usher, Alicia Keys, The Roots, E-40, Slum Village, Maxwell, Childish Gambino, Madlib, Pharrell, & Mariah Carey.
Soul & funk is in from The Meters, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone, Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band, Earth Wind & Fire, Isaac Hayes, Rufus & Chaka Khan, & others.
Classic rock staples are in from The Beatles, The Doors, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Electric Light Orchestra, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Captain Beyond, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Cheap Trick, The Zombies, Prince, & lots more.
We finish things off this week with country favorites from Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings, some 80s electronic 12"s, and another round of hard to find soundtracks!
We continue the contemporary pressings this week with a strong selection of hip hop, R&B, & pop from Talib Kweli, Usher, Alicia Keys, The Roots, E-40, Slum Village, Maxwell, Childish Gambino, Madlib, Pharrell, & Mariah Carey.
Soul & funk is in from The Meters, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone, Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band, Earth Wind & Fire, Isaac Hayes, Rufus & Chaka Khan, & others.
Classic rock staples are in from The Beatles, The Doors, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Electric Light Orchestra, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Captain Beyond, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Cheap Trick, The Zombies, Prince, & lots more.
We finish things off this week with country favorites from Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings, some 80s electronic 12"s, and another round of hard to find soundtracks!
Black Friday Record Store Day is November 25th
Strictly Discs will be the place to be this Post-Thanksgiving-Shopping-Melee-Day, also known as Black Friday.
And that's because certain indie stores across the country will be the place to get special releases created just for you, for giving and getting this holiday season, and they're scheduled for release on Black Friday, November 25, 2022.
Now, this is not Record Store Day, Jr., but it is brought to you by the powers-that-be at Record Store Day. This is a group of special releases you can only find at certain independent record stores nationwide. The magic of these pieces (many uber-limited) is that every one of them is something someone will really LOVE to get, and you'll really ENJOY giving. And you may have the added nice feeling of supporting a local, independently owned (Strictly Discs, Independently Owned since 1988) business during the holidays.
Here is Strictly Discs' plan for the day:
1. We OPEN at 9AM for RSD shopping
2. Line to form westbound on Monroe Street
3. While in line, you will be handed a menu of all RSD/BF titles
4. We will pull your requests & you will check out outside
5. The shop will open for normal browsing at approximately 10 (when the RSD line is gone)
6. RSD titles will be located upstairs
Thank you for helping us to keep this event safe & fun.
WISHLISTS:
WISHLISTS can be made using the link below:
https://recordstoreday.strictlydiscs.com/
The deadline to create or modify a RSD BLACK FRIDAY WISH LIST is Wednesday, September 28th at NOON.
And that's because certain indie stores across the country will be the place to get special releases created just for you, for giving and getting this holiday season, and they're scheduled for release on Black Friday, November 25, 2022.
Now, this is not Record Store Day, Jr., but it is brought to you by the powers-that-be at Record Store Day. This is a group of special releases you can only find at certain independent record stores nationwide. The magic of these pieces (many uber-limited) is that every one of them is something someone will really LOVE to get, and you'll really ENJOY giving. And you may have the added nice feeling of supporting a local, independently owned (Strictly Discs, Independently Owned since 1988) business during the holidays.
Here is Strictly Discs' plan for the day:
1. We OPEN at 9AM for RSD shopping
2. Line to form westbound on Monroe Street
3. While in line, you will be handed a menu of all RSD/BF titles
4. We will pull your requests & you will check out outside
5. The shop will open for normal browsing at approximately 10 (when the RSD line is gone)
6. RSD titles will be located upstairs
Thank you for helping us to keep this event safe & fun.
WISHLISTS:
WISHLISTS can be made using the link below:
https://recordstoreday.strictlydiscs.com/
The deadline to create or modify a RSD BLACK FRIDAY WISH LIST is Wednesday, September 28th at NOON.
SELL US YOUR CDS & LPS
Yes, we are still buying! Call Ron to schedule (608.213.3610).
Ron, Ryan, Angie, Marty, Evan, Matt, Ed, Eric, Jack, Steve, Mark, Brad, Roger, & Adam
