After The Gold Rush
Download

Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Download

Don’t Let It Bring You Down
Download

Album: After The Gold Rush (1970)

After The Gold Rush was mostly recorded in my beloved Topanga. After a couple of years of living here, I can appreciate how this creative, idyllic Los Angeles enclave shaped Neil’s music.

Neil was going through a patch of writer’s block in early 1970 when he read a screenplay from his neighbor, the actor Dean Stockwell. Dean is most famous for the TV show Quantum Leap but earlier in his career, he was one of Hollywood’s ambassadors to 60s-era counterculture.

The still-unproduced, whereabouts-unknown screenplay for After The Gold Rush concerned a tidal wave that floods Topanga Canyon. As Dean described it, After The Gold Rush was “a Jungian self-discovery of the gnosis. It involved the Kabbalah, it involved a lot of arcane stuff.” (Hard to believe Hollywood didn’t pounce on this pitch.)

Dean Stockwell’s After The Gold Rush may have been lost to time, but his script was the creative spark Neil needed to create the After The Gold Rush LP. Those were some hazy days, and it’s unclear which specific tracks were written specifically for the film. Some of the tracks were recorded with Crazy Horse, Neil’s loud rock-n-roll collaborators, at a studio in Hollywood; the mellower songs (including those selected for this post) were recorded with local musicians who gathered in Neil’s makeshift studio.

After a couple of mildly successful solo albums, Neil reunited with his Buffalo Springfield bandmate Stephen Stills and joined his new vocal group, Crosby, Stills and Nash. Now known as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, they went on tour (including an appearance at the Woodstock Festival) and released the hugely successful LP, Déjà Vu. It was in the aftermath of CSNY’s explosion that Neil retreated to his Topanga basement to record After The Gold Rush.

The title track seems to be related to the screenplay. Drug-induced imagery from past, present, and future reveal a devastating natural disaster that results in the evacuation of Earth. Neil’s ethereal falsetto, plaintive piano, and the odd flugelhorn solo create an otherworldly soundtrack that parallels the song’s evocative lyrics.

The waltz-like “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is beautiful and sad. It wouldn’t have been out of place on Déjà Vu; in fact, Stephen Stills provides vocal harmonies, so perhaps the song was originally intended for CSNY.

“Don’t Let It Bring You Down” encourages folks to get involved as a way to combat the depressing nature of social turmoil. Though he wrote the song over 40 years ago, its message couldn’t be more timely.

After The Gold Rush offers a compelling contrast between Neil’s off-kilter lyrics and the simplicity of its production. Neil’s mission was to strip away anything slick or extraneous from the music: “There was a shitload of room on those recordings, because there wasn’t anything else goin’ on. Just rhythm guitar, bass and drums – that’s all there was. The song was it – and everything else was supporting it.”

Wrektime
Download

Sound Bwoy Bureill
(w/Starang Wonduh, Top Dog)
Download

Home Sweet Home
Download

Album: Dah Shinin’ (1995)

I couldn’t decide if Smif-N-Wessun’s Dah Shinin’ should be categorized within LP Classics or Crate Diggin’.

One the one hand, Dah Shinin’ is a mid-90s banger, and was part of a wave of releases that brought some shine back to New York hip hop after years of West Coast dominance. So LP Classics seems like the right place for this post.

On the other hand, unless you were a serious connoisseur of rap, you’ve probably never heard of Smif-N-Wessun, its talented MCs Tek and Steele, or their underrated producers, Da Beatmizerz. The duo appears to identify itself with an underground aesthetic; so from that perspective, maybe Crate Diggin’ would be the more appropriate categorization.

It’s the rare record that can be both amazing and unknown, but Dah Shinin’ pulls it off. It’s not for everyone, though. The lyrics are raw, the beats are moody and ambient. And kids should definitely not attempt to learn spelling from the duo; everything in the Smif-N-Wessun universe uses ridiculous, phonetic spelling. (“Wipe Ya Mouf”?)

But for those who can hang with the realness, Da Shinin’ is one of hip hop’s most steady LPs; having a single producer oversee the record makes a huge difference to its flow.

Sorry about the skip that kicks off “Wrektime.” (When keeping it real goes wrong.) “Wrektime” is one of the LPs more upbeat cuts, though it conforms to the Smif-n-Wessun lyrical template of weed, guns, and getting into shit. I have no idea what Tek is trying to say with, “Mista Rippa slicker than your sista/Turn down the lights she got hit by the Vicksta,” but it is delivered with entertaining conviction.

“Sound Bwoy Bureill” is my favorite track on the record, and Da Beatminerz’s production is a masterful showcase for the art and power of minimalism. In addition to its memorable vocals, the track consists of a straightforward drum pattern, a driving bassline, some sparse keyboard flourishes, and a wind sound that subtly supports its ominous mood. Tek and Steele often employ Jamaican-style phrasing in their verses, most prominently on this classic joint.

I’ve been trying to track down the reggae toaster sampled at the beginning and end of “Sound Bwoy Bureill”. The Internet claims the obscure Super Beagle record below is the source, but it doesn’t quite match up with the badass toasting that appear on Smif-n-Wessun’s track (where is “LEAVE!”?).

Also, my guess is that the accapella intro part is not Super Beagle, but some Flavor Flav-ian hype man. Or is Super Beagle the name of the group and not the singer? I wish I knew that dude’s name.

The final selection, “Home Sweet Home” (they spelled that one right… why not “Hohm Suite Hohm?”) features a menacing excerpt from Roy Ayers’ oft-sampled classic, “We Live In Brooklyn Baby”. (Incidentally, the cover design for Dah Shinin’ also “samples” the cover design for He’s Coming, the Roy Ayers LP that includes “We Live In Brooklyn Baby”.) Tek and Steele each pull off some intricate rhymes: respectively, “What parts of no, do not you understand bro?” and “They was sent to represent and cause a ruckus amongst us.”

Unsurprisingly, Smif-n-Wessun were sued by Smith & Wesson after the release of Dah Shinin’, forcing them to change their name to Cocoa Brovaz. They must have worked something out with the gunmakers, because they changed their name back to Smif-n-Wessun in the mid-00s. They’re still recording and recently released a decent record with Pete Rock entitled Monumental. (The cover art is awesome.)

Lady Day And John Coltrane
Pieces Of A Man (1971)
Download

Did You Hear What They Said?
Free Will (1972)
Download

Winter In America (Solo Version)
Recorded in 1978
Download

Back Home (w/Brian Jackson)
Winter In America (1974)
Download

I’ve been listening to Gil Scott-Heron’s music consistently for decades. I own about eight of his LPs, and have been on the hunt for at least two others. His recent passing merits a proper tribute.

Gil’s music was a gumbo of jazz, blues, R&B, and spoken word — Gil called it “bluesology, the science of how things feel.” He had a gift for melody and was among the most evocative lyricists that emerged from the civil rights movement. I don’t consider Gil to be a great album artist — there are many intolerable tracks in his repertoire  — but when the music, lyrics, and personnel clicked (usually when Brian Jackson was involved), the impact was super powerful.

I remember going to see Gil at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland circa 1998. I am almost sure Brian Jackson performed with him that night (which rarely happened post-1980), but the Internet has not been forthcoming with corroboration. Gil wasn’t all there but it didn’t take more than a few songs for him to find his equilibrium. His voice had become hoarse, yet was no less emotive. I had hoped to see him perform again, but he seldom performed in his later years due to substance abuse and related incarcerations.

Rather than replicate a greatest hits collection, I tried to pick tracks that capture some of the emotions that have coursed through me as I contemplate Gil’s life and career.

“Lady Day And John Coltrane” was one of Gil’s early singles, and speaks to the transcendent power of music. It’s fitting that Gil selected Billie Holiday and John Coltrane as the song’s symbols; all three pushed the boundaries of jazz by combining the personal with the radical. All three also struggled with substance abuse, and Gil’s lyrics could apply to both music or to getting high: “They’ll wash your troubles, your troubles away…”

“Did You Hear What They Said?” was written in reaction to the Vietnam War, but is a timeless dirge about losing a child on a faraway battlefield. Gil’s use of melisma highlights the agony, and creates an emotional analogue with the song’s key phrase: “This can’t be real.”

“Winter In America” is one of Gil’s most lyrically ambitious songs. Originally released in 1974, it grieves the loss of forceful, idealistic civil right leaders and hippie optimism. This elegiac solo version was recorded in 1978 — America still hadn’t thawed out in the four years since the original was released.

Despite purchasing the Winter In America LP sometime in the 1990s, I only clued into the near-perfect “Back Home” a few months ago. It has a catchy, singalong melody that belies its yearning for a simpler time. It’s poetic that “Back Home” would be the Gil track I’d be grooving on at the time of his death: “I gotta get back to see my people, someday and someway.”

Pony (Extended Version)
Download

Released in 1996

Timbaland is among the all-time great hip hop/R&B’s producers, and Ginuwine’s “Pony” was one of his first big hits. Like many Timbaland tracks, it’s held up flawlessly over the years.

Timbaland takes pride in fusing together unlikely elements in service of a slamming, unique beat. The most dominating sound on “Pony” is a deceptively simple three-note froglike bassline. But it’s the weirdness that takes the track to another level — the loopy slide whistle, the way he lets the beat breathe during the verses, the chugging percussive sound that lurks underneath.

The lyrics are ridiculous, but you have to admire the complete lack of shame:

If you’re horny, let’s do it
Ride it, my pony

Unbelievably, the lyrics go even further downhill from there, but I’ll refrain from calling attention to the specifics here; regardless, it’s impossible not to sing along.

Recently, Dancing Alone to Pony became a meme. Dozens of brave boogiers uploaded lo-fi video to show their genuine love for Ginuwine’s classic. This one is my current favorite:

The extended version doesn’t overextend itself. There’s an additional instrumental passage which introduces some vaguely ominous keyboard elements into the mix, but otherwise leaves the original intact.

Cochise
Download

North Carolina
Download

Get Yourself Together
(w/Rahsaan Roland Kirk)
Download

Album: Live At Montreux
Released in 1973

I’ve always dug Les McCann, and when I found this Live At Montreux double LP in a local record store ($5, near mint), I knew it would be quality.

The Montreux Jazz Festival is Switzerland’s prestigious annual event on stunning Lake Geneva. In recent years, Montreux has drifted a bit off brand; for its 44th season, jazz greats such as Coolio, Arcade Fire, and Ricky Martin are on the programme. (To be fair, actual jazz greats such as George Benson, Diana Krall, and Herbie Hancock are also on the bill.)

Les McCann’s Live At Montreux was recorded during an earlier, purer incarnation of the festival, in 1972. Les was already a legend at Montreux — and Switzerland in general — because he had released a hit live album from the festival, 1969′s Swiss Movement.

For his second recording from Montreux, Les brought along bassist Jimmy Rowser, drummer Donald Dean, and percussionist Buck Clarke. Like many jazz artists of the time, Les experimented with electric, amplified instruments and Live At Montreux is a showcase for the many colors and textures of the recently-invented clavinet keyboard.

“Cochise” kicks off the set at breakneck pace. (The title inexplicably refers to an Apache chief from the 19th century.) On this track, the clavinet occasionally sounds blown out and distorted, which may or may not be a by-product of the recording process.

On the first movement of “North Carolina,” the clavinet has more of a bubbly sound, which is probably its most familiar mode (think Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”). About halfway into the track, Les reconfigures the clavinet to a more elegant, brighter setting, and it sounds like an entirely different instrument.

For an encore, Les selected the epic “Get Yourself Together”. Can’t say I love his vocals, but thankfully Les’s singing is only a small part of his repertoire. Later in the track, fellow Montreux performer Rahsaan Roland Kirk jumped onstage and contributed a sax solo, showing off his unusual technique of breathing without losing his tone. (Today I learned this is called “circular breathing.”)

Les last performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1998, though he has toured sporadically in the U.S. and Japan as recently as 2009.