Strictly Discs

Email November 15, 2018

MADISON WINTER NIGHT MARKET - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH:

Join us Saturday, November 17th at the downtown Madison Night Market on State Street from 5-9PM. We will be located in the 100 block of State Street near the intersection of State and Dayton/Fairchild Streets. Look for us under the bright orange tent with holiday records in abundance, a 350 piece killer fresh metal collection (Megadeath/Metallica/Iron Maiden/Suicidal Tendencies/Corrosion of Conformity to name a few), as well as fresh new and great giftable LPs.

NEW THIS WEEK AT THE SHOP:

A very busy week leads off with some larger, very anticipated releases. The Chris Robinson Brotherhood continue to reward their rabid fanbase with another huge volume of live recordings. 'Betty's Blends Volume 4' collects performances from right here in the midwest on a sprawling 4LP set. It only took a few listens here at SD HQ for us to declare Makaya McCraven's 'Universal Beings' our top jazz album of the year, and at last we have it on vinyl, in a splendidly artworked 2LP package. The late great Chris Cornell gets his due with his first ever career retrospective, in the house on CD, deluxe CD box, and super deluxe box. Purchases of any format here come with a beautiful lithograph portrait of Cornell while supplies last.
Perennial favorites Mumford & Sons are back with a new album called 'Delta', and the indefatigable Smashing Pumpkins return with 3/4s of their original lineup for a new record called 'Shiny And Oh So Bright. On again, off again supergroup The Good, The Bad and the Queen (Damon Albarn, Paul Simenon of the Clash, Tony Allen, and friends) revive themselves for 'Merrie Land', available on limited green vinyl, and we've got new albums from Mark Knopfler, Dispatch, and Andrew McMahon

We have an always welcome new record from Chicago folk-rock scamp Ryley Walker and (bear with me now) this one is a disc of Dave Matthews Band covers. Whatever you think of the DMB, or their underappreciated early 20th century jam sessions dubbed 'Lillywhite', let it pass from your mind for now, as this disc showcases yet another side of a seemingly infinitely reinventable persona in the young Walker, seeing him lend jazzy folk inflections ala early Sea and Cake or fuzzy realness ala 'AM' era Wilco to these tunes of the Bard Dave. On the same note are two lovely archival releases from the Big Thief camp, the first a disc of unreleased music from the group's songwriters Adrienne Lenker and Buck Meek, and the second a vinyl reissue of Lenker's debut solo album 'Hours Were The Birds', which is a gorgeous set of wintry folk tunes heavy with imagery.

Timeless rarities return to vinyl this week in a big way. 'In A Mood' was the second album from the late 80s Atlanta jazz musician Harry Case, and it's lived quite a life in the Discogs wantlists of rare groove diggers for years. It's easy to see why; no specific genre really sums this one up. It's jazz in the sense that Wally Badarou's 'Echoes' is jazz; a polyphonic world of pastel synths, guitar and rhythm boxes, with light touches of vocal soul and yearning funk that undoubtedly made it a tough sell back in the Reagan era. It's been nearly a decade since Ted Lucas' lost self-titled mid-70s album was pressed to vinyl for the first time, and in that span, copies have become rarer than many records three or four times older. 'Ted Lucas' sets the bar for long-lost holy grails extremely, maybe even impossibly high, and truly begs the question why it wasn't ever released in the first place. Check out opener 'It's So Easy' (you might find it familiar as it's turned up in a couple films and advertisements over the years) and find yourself immediately won over by by Lucas' dusty, oaken croon and laid-the-hell-back guitar delivery, and then settle in for an easy trip that will have you winding that tonearm back for hours to come. The first pressing of this did not last long so tuck in for one of these quick. Same goes for the 1973 self titled album from Joao Gilberto, which heaped further critical acclaim upon the already established don of bossa. With the aid of minimalist, hypnotic production from none other than Wendy Carlos, this LP was dubbed GIlberto's 'White Album'. It's also nice and white.
Timeless rarities return to vinyl this week in a big way. 'In A Mood' was the second album from the late 80s Atlanta jazz musician Harry Case, and it's lived quite a life in the Discogs wantlists of rare groove diggers for years. It's easy to see why; no specific genre really sums this one up. It's jazz in the sense that Wally Badarou's 'Echoes' is jazz; a polyphonic world of pastel synths, guitar and rhythm boxes, with light touches of vocal soul and yearning funk that undoubtedly made it a tough sell back in the Reagan era. It's been nearly a decade since Ted Lucas' lost self-titled mid-70s album was pressed to vinyl for the first time, and in that span, copies have become rarer than many records three or four times older. 'Ted Lucas' sets the bar for long-lost holy grails extremely, maybe even impossibly high, and truly begs the question why it wasn't ever released in the first place. Check out opener 'It's So Easy' (you might find it familiar as it's turned up in a couple films and advertisements over the years) and find yourself immediately won over by by Lucas' dusty, oaken croon and laid-the-hell-back guitar delivery, and then settle in for an easy trip that will have you winding that tonearm back for hours to come. The first pressing of this did not last long so tuck in for one of these quick. Same goes for the 1973 self titled album from Joao Gilberto, which heaped further critical acclaim upon the already established don of bossa. With the aid of minimalist, hypnotic production from none other than Wendy Carlos, this LP was dubbed GIlberto's 'White Album'. It's also nice and white.

More exquisite moods from the continent of Africa this week, starting off with two lovely LPs from Bonga. The Angolan singer performs a style called semba, a kind of latin-influenced rhythmic folk that also turned up in some Colombian music of the same period. A couple of Bonga tracks have turned up on compilations here and there, but these albums have never been available as full LPs since their original release. The Awesome Tapes From Africa label launches another spiritual bomb into the stratosphere with a set of early recordings by Ethiopian harpist and singer Asnakech Worku. "Ethiopian Icon' is haunting, raw and elliptical, with engaging accompaniment from none other than ATFA MVP Hailu Mergia. The Sublime Frequencies label delivers another missive from the cultural fringes with a new record by balafonist Baba Commandant and his band, and its a real smoker.

But that aint all. Check out more elctronic wonders from Dopplereffekt, an incredible new buffet-style album from Max Graef called 'Lo Siento Mucho Pero No Hablo Tu Idioma', an entrancing new one from the Romanian duo Khidja, plus new EPs from Mall Grab and Little Dragon, and a profound new effort from longtime staff fave Prefuse 73 under a new alias, Reto A Ichi.

New delights from Japan this week include an LP repress of the dropdead gorgeous late 80s ambient album 'Reminiscence' by pianist Motohiko Hamase, a repress of the first album from the Mkwaju Ensemble, the band led by vibraphonist Midori Takada, and a lush, Stereolab gone Acid Mothers style new record from the group Kikagaku Moyo, called 'Masana Temples'.

On the heels of the release of his lost 1963 sessions, Impulse delivers a 3 CD set compiling ALL of John Coltrane's recordings from that year, allowing the listener to take in the full scope of his accomplishments in that year alone. It's been 50 years since the release of the Rolling Stones' 'Beggars Banquet' and its back with its original RSVP cover wrapping and a vinyl version packed full of goodies. Kate Bush's early albums get the remaster treatment on two individual LP sets and one large CD set.

Jewels from the ambient wing of Brian Eno's palatial discography are back in print this week: 'Music For Airports', 'On Land', and the often overlooked but just as essential 'Discreet Music'.

Big things in rap world this week, starting off with some demanded LPs. Travis Scott's cosmic trap epic 'Astroworld' and Drake's radio-dominating 'Scorpion' are at last here on vinyl, as well as a repress of Gucci Mane's early classic 'Trap House'. On the CD end of things we have new stuff from Mariah Carey, Lil Yachty and Teyana Taylor.

More deep cuts restored to wax this week include the fiery spiritual jazz meets spoken word cauldron that is Amiri Baraka's 'Its Nation Time'. 80s funk group California Flight Project never saw their records make it past the demo stage during their initial existence, but thats been rectified by diehards more recently, and now we have it all on a single LP. Truly flawless, sundrenched and cosmic boogie funk here. The Be With Records label tucks another disco grail under their belt with the reissue of Marti Caine's one of a kind 1981 album 'Point Of View', which crosses up femme disco with bits of reggae and funk.

New jazz releases this week include the vinyl for Moses Boyd's incredible latin and funk influenced album 'Displaced Diaspora', and CD only affairs from Florian Weber and Gabriel Zucker.

Coil's late-period landmark ambient album 'The Ape of Naples' is back in print after last years repress disappeared in a matter of days. The 90s dark ambient masterpiece 'Stalker' by Robert Rich and Lustmord is on vinyl for the first time ever. The galactic jewel of 90s IDM known as B12's 'Time Tourist' is back in the house in an expanded edition on both CD and LP.

Speaking of IDM, the mysterious French label Melodies Souterraines has another cryptic compilation of rare 12" only cuts from the 90s and 00s that traces a delicate history of lesser appreciated electronic music and plays out like a loving mixtape made by the most knowledgeable DJ of all time. They've also brought us a compilation of early 80s material by the British art commune known only as Chen Yi, which sounds of a piece with music being made by likeminded groups like Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Cabaret Voltaire. Glaswegian record savant JD Twitch has compiled a killer set of German art-punk for Strut called 'Kreaturen Der Nacht'.

USED CD ALERT:
You take the good, you take the bad, you take’em all and there you have the new used CDs for this week. Plenty of great albums capturing the live experience including: The Band “Rock of Ages;” Eddie Harris and Les McCann “Swiss Movement;” Bill Withers “Live at Carnegie Hall;” James Brown “Live at the Apollo 1962;” and BB King “Live in Cook County Jail.” For a limited time, we have in Sufjan Stevens’ suites dedicated to Michigan and Illinois, most of Vampire Weekend’s discography and several works from house godheads Justice. Tops from AC/DC, the Ramones’ “Rocket to Russia” and Joy Dvision’s “Closer” will be set alongside Al Green’s “Call Me” and “I’m in Still in Love with You,” possibly the Rev’s two greatest records. Essential jazz in the form of Pharoah Sanders [“Karma”], sturdy hip-hop from Gangstarr [“Ownerz”], multiple titles from GBV, Doc Watson, Pink Floyd and one of the few studio dates helmed by Madison’s favorite adopted son Clyde Stubblefield round this pre-Thanksgiving smorgasboard. Get in where you fit in.

USED VINYL ALERT:

Before we head downstairs for this week's Used Vinyl Alert, be sure to check out the shelves upstairs for some great new additions to our inventory of used Box Sets along the back wall. We've had some great hauls in the oversized department lately and we'll be rolling them out weekly leading up through the big holiday season. This week we've got some cool indie and classic rock sets, plus a slew of 7-INCH SINGLE box sets.

Down below, many treats await, starting off with some must haves from our favorite names, like Bob Dylan, Beck, Patti Smith, Led Zeppelin, Tom Waits, the Beach Boys, the Sex Pistols, Tom Petty, and the Kinks. We've also got some fine Fleetwood Mac titles including some rare bootlegs, and an utter boatload of Beatles LPs including mono pressings and many, many unofficial, fanclub, compilation and foreign pressings of the Fab 4.

Further along in the rock world, we've got LPs from Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, the Turtles, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Black Sabbath, the Clash, David Bowie, Morrissey, Tears For Fears, the Cars, Hall and Oates, U2, The The, REM, XTC, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, the Band, Badfinger, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, Dr. Hook, Frank Marino, White Lion, Warren Zeon, and the Allmans.

Plenty of fine jazz LPs this week including titles rom Barry Harris Dave Brubeck, Yusef Lateef, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, Soft Machine, Deodato, Herbie Mann, Clifford Brown, Joe Zawinul, Oregon, Count Basie, Monk, Keith Jarrett, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Leon Bibb, and Ralph Towner.

Female vocalists of every stripe are in the new arrivals this week, including names like Carmen McRae, Abbey Lincoln, Astrud Gilberto, Eartha Kitt, Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Francoise Hardy, Connie Francis, Julie London, Marie Laforet, Anita O'Day, Sandy Nelson, and Roberta Flack.

The soul runs deep this week with LPs from Otis Redding, Sunbear, Parliament, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Spinners, Edwin Starr, Slave, the Ohio Players, and many, many more. Plus newer hip-hop and boogie from Maxwell, Robbie M, Moon B, Leif, Kendrick Lamar, Mos Def, Sade, Snoop Dogg and Boyz II Men.

A solid run of classic blues is here from Little Walkter, Fred McDowell, John Mayall, Luther Allison, Big Bill Broonzy, Bill Doggett, Rev Gary Davis, Wynonie Harris, Paul Butterfields, Elmore James, Howlin Wolf and Lightnin Hopkins. Folk and country is also here from Siegel/Schwall, Chris Hillman, Sally Rogers, Peggy and Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Josh White, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, and Jerry Jeff Walker.

Lastly, we've got some newer releases from Can, Daughters of the Sun, Bright Eyes (a deep run of catalog titles!), Arctic Monkeys, the Arcs, Portugal the Man, Andrew Bird, and Radiohead!

BLACK FRIDAY RECORD STORE DAY IS NOVEMBER 23RD:

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 23, 2018.  

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.

The list of Black Friday exclusives can be found HERE. And while we will try to have ample stock (one of the deepest in the midwest) of all items, please know that some of these products are extremely limited and will sell out quickly. For full pressing information on these releases, please visit the Record Store Day website.

If you created a wishlist, it will be updated within our system prior to November 22, 2018.

WAREHOUSE POP-EVENT/SALE NOVEMBER 28TH:


Thousands of of fresh bargain LPs, 45s, CDs and other musical ephemera for browsing, plus a large selection of collectible LPs.
Lastly, fear not: the pop up will have a ton of great records but we will STILL be doing our usual Used Vinyl Alert with the same amount of great fresh arrivals the following Friday. So cruise out to our home away from home and prepare to dig. Bring the family, bring a date, or just bring a big box to haul away the deals. We'll see you Thursday evening!
Our warehouse is located at 4253 Argosy Court. Please park only in our front parking lot and not in the trucking company's back lot.

MONROE STREET CONSTRUCTION UPDATE:

Thank you for making the trip to come and see us; we appreciate it!

DIRECTIONS FROM REGENT/EAST:

From Regent Street:

Turn Left on SPOONER ST

Turn Right on West Lawn or Keyes

Turn Left on Harrison St.

We are on the corner of Harrison & Monroe Streets (the street level parking lot outside of the Trader Joe's doors is a public City of Madison lot & the side streets all have FREE 2 hour parking.

MONROE STREET IS OPEN FROM THE WEST

Coming to the shop with CDs/LPs? We can come to you or meet you at our warehouse to make it easier. Please call or text Ron at 608.213.3610 to arrange.

SELL US YOUR CDS & LPS:

NEXT MUSIC TRIVIA TUESDAY NOVEMBER 27TH:

Join us Tuesday, November 27th for Music Trivia at the High Noon Saloon. Registration starts at 5:30PM wiht first question from Marty & Angie at 6PM. Save the date for December 11th.


Ron, Ryan, Angie, Marty, Evan, Matt, Michael, Ben, Will, Ed & Isaac

        
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