Whats on your turntable tonight?

Been breaking in a new pair of small monitors by playing CD's almost continuously the past few days. The growing stack includes:

The Flaming Lips -- At War With The Mystics
Hovhaness/Magic Mountain -- Reiner/Chicago
Wondermints -- Bali
Sloan -- Navy Blues
Roland Kirk -- We Free Kings
Fairport Convention -- Unhalfbricking
V/A -- The New Untouchables Presents Le Beat Bespoke
Brian Wilson -- Imagination
The Byrds -- Turn! Turn! Turn!
The 5 Royales -- Sing For You
Howlin' Wolf -- Change My Way
The Gestures -- S/T
Milt Jackson -- Statements
Shoes -- Stolen Wishes
Syl Johnson -- Back For A Taste Of Your Love/Diamond In The Rough
Carmen McRea -- Carmen Sings Monk
V/A -- Shrine: The Rarest Soul Label
Charlie Mingus -- A Modern Jazz Symposium Of Music And Poetry With
The Jazz Crusaders -- Chile Con Soul
The Kinks -- Something Else
Veracini/Overtures & Concertos -- Martini/Accademia I Filarmonici
V/A -- Off The Wall: Essential Argo/Cadet Grooves
Free Design -- Sing For Very Important People
Bob Dylan -- Live 1966
V/A -- Pebbles/Surfbeat Behind The Iron Curtain
Flamin' Groovies -- Supersnazz

Zaikes, your mention of

Carmen McRae -- Carmen Sings Monk

reminded me how long it's been since I last played this. An absolutely AMAZING piece of music, I'm going to pull it out enough from the stack to remind me to spin it next time the system is on.

Albert, I actually prefer Carmen's deeper, burrier voice at these more advanced years than when she was younger, and think she'd matured into a better artist as well. One of the live cuts, track 12 "Suddenly" (AKA "In Walked Bud") has become one I turn to when evaluating system changes, just out of familiarity from repetition. BTW, being the big Al Green fan I know you are, have you heard the Syl Johnson albums on Hi/London, produced by Willie Mitchell and featuring the Hodges/Grimes band?

Zaikes,

Looks like Johnson's, "Talkin' About Chicago" (1999) is on Delmark, typically a great label with "Music to My Ears" (1995) being his album last on the Hi label.

Which one are you referring to, or better yet, which is your favorite?

The two-fer package listed above collects albums recorded and released in the early 70's. His next two albums are also available on another double, which I need to get, based on this one. Johnson's 60's work on Twinight and other small labels is much more in the vein of guys like James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, hard funk and soul with overtones of humor and social commentary. I still think that ulitmately it's his best stuff and collecting some of those singles is how I knew him. The first time I heard the Hi disk I was taken aback, I thought it was too similar to Al Green and Willie Mitchell was imposing his style on Johnson at the expense of his own established one. Which is true, but actually Mitchell did the same with Green more than people realize and that worked out pretty well to say the least. Johnson, a Memphis artist to begin with, did contribute his own writing skills. Once I got over the superficial Green influence with repeated listening, the quality of the songs and performances came to the fore and won me over. I'll send you a CD-R of this collection, see what you think. (I have not tried to locate vintage vinyl to compare.)