Staff Top Tens for 2023

Happy new year! Only a few of the record making elves are back from their holiday break so far, so its only a handful of new releases to tell you about. We are looking forward to another phenomenal year of records! We start the year off right with some affordable reissues. As the VELVET UNDERGROUND concluded their residency (sans Cale and Nico) at the legendary cauldron of rock's avant-garde, Max's Kansas City, in 1970, they were in high spirits, if not yet a household name. Their final (and arguably finest) album, 'Loaded', was yet to be released, and their sets were suitably stuffed full of future hits that nobody really knew yet. The live recording, made by a friend in the audience on a portable tape deck, therefore captures uncanny moments like Lou strumming the opening lines of "Sweet Jane", perhaps the most iconic song in the Velvets catalog, while one or two people in the audience offer up a few weak "woo"s. It also captures some humorous snatches of verite, like Jim Carroll in the crowd asking for a double Pernod, and Reed admonishing someone else on stage, likely his fall guy Doug Yule, with a few "what are you doing man?"s between songs. In Reed's classic trickster fashion, he was secretly plotting to leave the group he had founded once the show ended, making this suitably raw recording the final live document of one of the most important bands to ever plug in. Expanded with other takes from the residency, this gem returns this week on colored wax. We've also got limited color represses of YES's debut LP 'Yes', THE DOORS live sizzler 'Alive, She Cried', and a new pressing of the killer collection of early material from progressive death metal pioneers CYNIC, 'Uroboric Forms'. I dare someone to buy all four of these!

The Tone Poet series inaugurates the new year with a pair of absolute gems. LOU DONALDSON's 1968 album 'Midnight Creeper' is a pristine sample of the smooth and grooving side of soul-jazz, with particularly inspired performances from Lou on alto, George Benson on guitar, and Lonnie Smith on organ. ELVIN JONES' underrated classic from 1970, 'Poly-Currents' is a fantastic look into the decade that opened on to free jazz, with Joe Farrell and Pepper Adams blowing boundlessly while Jones' polyrhythms expand in all directions. The Soul Jazz label starts us off with some unstoppable instrumental collections. STUDIO ONE SCORCHER compiles nineteen classic early rocksteady anthems, while 'Jamaica Soul Shake Vol.1' celebrates SOUND DIMENSION, one of the greatest Jamaican reggae bands, led by Coxsone Dodd, who stayed active as the Studio One house band for over 15 years.

We've been waiting a good long while for the debut album from neo-soul stalwart DANIELLE PONDER to hit the shelves. The electrifying 'Some Of Us Are Brave' is finally here for you, on gold vinyl no less, if you haven't already caved and scooped one of the 3-digit priced copies online. MELANIE MARTINEZ's out of print 2020 EP 'After School' gets a limited color press. East Coast rapper RANSOM partners again with Canadian beatmeister NICHOLAS CRAVEN for 'Deleted Scenes 2', and trusted Detroit house veteran ANDRES is back with 'Andres V', a cracking album of sample-heavy party insurance.

Last up, we've gotten in some nice restocks/represses of heavily demanded titles, as we tend to do. This week they include FIONA APPLE's 'Tidal', a couple from DEFTONES including 'White Pony', VINCE STAPLES' 'Summertime 06', and the oft-requested 'Take Me Back To Eden' from SLEEP TOKEN.

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The Used Vinyl alert is off to a smokin' start this week! Big scores are in from the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Buffalo Springfield, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, the Beach Boys, King Crimson, John Prine, the Eagles, Jeff Beck, Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Robert Palmer, Santana, The Guess Who, Tracy Chapman, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Yes, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Nancy Sinatra, Kiss, Queen, Kansas, Cat Stevens, Genesis, INXS, the B-52’s, Black Sabbath, Berlin, Talking Heads, and U2.

Jazz is in from some nice names including the dearly departed Les McCann, John Klemmer, Charles Mingus, Freddie Hubbard, Coleman Hawkins, Keith Jarrett, Ralph Towner, and Hubert Laws. Essential avant-garde comes in from Brian Eno, Moondog, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich.

Some lovely soul is in from Donny Hathaway, Terry Callier, Rotary Connection, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, and Whitney Houston. Blues is in from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Koko Taylor, JB Lenoir, Bukka White, and Elizabeth Cotten. Country comes through from the Everly, Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and several more.

Plnty of contemporary "like-new" copies of recent LPs from Smashing Pumpkins, Flipturn, Action Bronson, The Weeknd, Brittany Howard, DJ Shadow, Lucius, Margo Price, King Gizzard, Stereolab, Courtney Barnett, the War on Drugs, and Slowdive. We round it out with some quality electro/techno, Star Wars and other soundtracks, Polka on Cuca, Reggae, and classical, plus a nice stash of essential international records from the Nonesuch Explorer and Ocora labels, covering regions like Yugoslavia, India, Bali, Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, and many more.

Yes, we are still buying! Call Ron to schedule (608.213.3610).