Well All Right!

 

Graduate: Why Didn't I Get The Memo?

 

Forgive me if this is old news, but before Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal released the debut Tears For Fears album, they released a full length under the moniker Graduate...and it's pretty damn good...if you like that late 70's/early 80's Jags meets The Vapors at Elvis Costello's house kinda vibe.

"Acting My Age" could have easily gotten lost in the new wave, skinny tie shuffle, and then completely forgotten about once Curt & Roland did an about face with their sound, or at least that's what I am telling myself is a fine excuse for not knowing of its existence. Regardless, I really enjoyed this record. It's a bit clumsy at times, but the seeds of those melodies that Tears For Fears perfected with age are there. There are more than a few pop gems on "Acting My Age," a couple or three that might even pass as power pop.

(h/t hpunch)

About The Blogs

This is meant to be a helpful update on what is going on here and over at the Now Playing blog.

Burning Wood is what it is.

The sidebars on the left are as follows:

S.O.T.D.:

This is a daily, a song that can be accessed on YouTube by clicking the pic. At the end of the week, the seven songs of the day will be zipped up and posted as a mix every Sunday.

Below the S.O.T.D. is "Shout It Out Loud." This is the chat box where you can share info and ask questions, when it works. Just be polite. 

Below the chat box are two recent additions, the Reggae Record Of The Week, which changes every Monday, and the Jazz Record Of The Week, which changes every Friday. These were both implemented by request. I know neither genre goes over well, but my suggestions are there for those interested.

Below the reggae and jazz boxes sits my little reminder that I will buy your vinyl, if you are looking to sell.

The sidebars on the right are as follows:

"Best Thing I Listened To Yesterday" still seems to cause confusion. It is NOT the "BEST" record of all. If I listen to Jethro Tull's "Stand Up" and The Who "Sell Out" in the same day, and "Stand Up" surprises me, it doesn't mean the Tull record is better than The Who record. I listened to the new Liminanas record yesterday and I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. But it is NOT a better record than "Rubber Soul." Which brings me to "Now Playing..."

Underneath "Best Thing I Listened To..." is the link for the other blog. "Now Playing" started out as nothing more than me writing down what I listen to everyday. It was just another way to start a conversation. It took some time to take off, and now it has been getting a good number of hits and the occasional comments. Like "The Best Thing," it is NOT me grading records. It's me grading the listening experience. I created a Pete Townshend playlist that consisted of 15 songs that I love, so why did it get four stars instead of five? Maybe the sequencing. Maybe I wasn't in the mood. Who knows? Robert Palmer's "Drive" just came out on vinyl for the first time and man, did it sound great! Four & a half stars! I still like five Robert Palmer albums more. Got it?

Below "Now Playing" is "Today's Cover Version" which is Today's Cover Version. It is supposed to change daily, but more often it is every other day to give everyone a chance to hear it.

Below "Today's Cover Version" is the donate button. Feel free, as I make nothing. Both of these blogs are a labor of love.

Lastly, if you check Burning Wood on your phone or tablet, you might not see the sidebars on the left and right. You need to scroll down to the very bottom of the page and click "view web version."

And dat's dat!

Songs Of The Week, 2025: 2/15-2/21

 

Wicked Man- Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama
The World Is Full Of Angry Young Men- XTC
Demons- The Blind Boys of Alabama
Protex Blue- The Clash
Sorry Somehow- Husker Du
Under The Street Lamp- Joe Bataan
Crippled Inside- John Lennon

zip

Wicked Man- Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama
(Never been a Ben Harper fan, but I played this collaboration to death when it was released. I haven't heard it in years. Man, it still holds up. If you dig this, check out the whole of "There Will Be A Light.")

The World Is Full Of Angry Young Men- XTC
(Someone mentioned "Rag & Bone Buffet" last week, another record I haven't played in ages. Great collection of odds and ends, including this gem.)

Demons- The Blind Boys of Alabama
(The rare inclusion of two tracks by the same band on one mix, here's another Blind Boys track that slays me. This one from the "Atom Bomb" record.)

Protex Blue- The Clash
(What's better, the U.K. track list or the U.S. track list of the Clash debut? I say the U.S., but then you miss out on this track.)

Sorry Somehow- Husker Du
(Some of the worst drum sounds ever committed to tape can be found on the Husker Du catalog. These records don't need remastering. They need to be re-recorded. Still, those records rock, and so does this track.)

Under The Street Lamp- Joe Bataan
(A perfect piece of Latin soul that evokes a sweltering August day in N.Y.C., courtesy of the King, Joe Bataan.)

Crippled Inside- John Lennon
(Whenever I play the "Imagine" album, I always start with Track Two.)

Coming In June

 

Take a look at that lineup!

 

 

 

"Cherry": Oh Baby!

 

I first heard Josh Roseman play his trombone on Charlie Hunter's 2000 self-titled release. And then, serendipitously, a CD came across the counter at the shop featuring Roseman as the leader of the Josh Roseman Unit. I was intrigued by both the players---John Medeski, Joey Baron, Lester Bowie---and the tune selection---songs written by Otis Blackwell, John Lennon, Page & Plant, Sun Ra and Kurt Cobain. That CD, "Cherry" quickly went into heavy rotation.

It's been years since I've listened to it, but after a few minutes of dialing up some tracks on YouTube, I remembered exactly why I loved the record. Roseman takes familiar melodies and turns them inside out. The "Unit" sounds like the Mingus Big Band and The Skatalites through a grunge machine. Roseman actually toured with The Skatalites for a bit, as well as appearing on records by Don Byron, Sean Lennon, Cibo Matto, Jason Moran, Ron Sexsmith, Sheryl Crow and countless others.

I imagine "Cherry" won't be everyone's cup of tea. But hopefully some of you will turn it up loud and have as much fun with it as I did.

 

Rick Buckler, 1955-2025

 

The Jam is one of my favorite bands of all time. I knew right from the second I heard "In The City," that something special was going on. It was everything I had been listening to and loving up to that point, from British Invasion and Motown, right on into my first experiences with punk. The Jam had it all- great riffs with words to back it up, courtesy of Paul Weller, and a relentless rhythm section featuring Bruce Foxton on bass and Rick Buckler on drums.

Rick Buckler was only 69.

Listen to "Extras" today. This is a collection of b-sides, demos, alternates and covers, that is miraculously cohesive, and one of the best collections of its kind.