Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Cyrkle "Neon" 1967

                Sometimes it’s the minor groups that really get to you.  When a group flies slightly under the radar, it has the opportunity to behave with less pretension and more sincerity, less pomp and more honesty.  To me, The Cyrkle falls into this category.  The group is best known for its lovely hits “Red Rubber Ball” and “Turn Down Day.”  Both of these were offered up on their first record though.  It was only as a follow up to their modest success that we get the lovely “Neon.”  I love The Cyrkle, but I am not going to say they are the most underrated band of the 60’s or anything like that.  What I will say is that they are very talented and pleasing to the ear.  They also have flashes of brilliance that make this well worth having in your collection.    
                The opening number, with the lengthy name “Don’t Cry, No Tears, No Fears Comin’ Your Way,” starts with some interesting guitar sounds.  There is very little attack on the front end of these chords.  Think of it like this: Imagine I said the word “Bang.”  Now picture me saying it with as little emphasis on the “B” sound as possible.  The “ang” sound then rises up and rings out, leaving you with a gong like impression.  The song then vacillates between mantra like verses and chipper choruses.  We also get not one, but two modulations at the ending fade. 
                “Please Don’t Ever Leave Me” has the boys singing to a typical late 60’s arrangement.  The harpsichord and oboe are very nice, but it is the sincere vocals that make the song so enjoyable.  There is nothing particularly special about the song.  It’s just a nice melody sung by some nice voices.  I always liked the sound of Don Dannemann’s (the lead singer) voice.  Some people sing like a violin, with notes sliding all over the place.  Don sings like a piano: clean, unwavering, and solid.  It’s hard for me to picture him singing out of tune.  Don also sings lead on, what I consider to be, the stand out track on the record. 
                “I Wish You Could Be Here” really tugs at my heart.  Don’s lead vocal is performed at about the level of a quiet phone call.  Picture a time in your life when you said “I wish you could be here.” to someone over the phone.  Remember that feeling as you listen to this song.  Sometimes the circumstances of life keep us apart, and what are we to do?  Here are a few of the lyrics:

Sundays in this town, there’s not a lot for me to do.
I’ve been listening to some records, but my thoughts have turned to you. 
I try to read the paper, but the words aren’t very clear,
And I know there’s something missing.
I wish you could be here. 

                There is a gentle melancholy to this song that I just love.  Sad songs have a tendency to pull me down into whatever hole the the artist is wallowing in, but this one is different.  I don’t know why it’s so touching, but something about it really resonates with me.  After listening to it multiple times, I looked on the back cover and found out that Paul Simon (who also wrote “Red Rubber Ball”) was a co-writer.  I guess that makes sense why it is so good.  My wife also noticed some moaning percussion in the back ground that I have not been able to positively identify.  The sound feels just like that aching in your gut when you really miss someone. 
                There are also a couple of well placed covers on the record.  “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” written by Bacharach and David, features a complex melody.  It’s the kind of melody that is dissonant, but doesn’t feel dissonant.  Similarly, the Beatles cover, “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You,” has some funky chord changes that diverge from the original.  It’s not something that totally messes with the song, but it does alter it enough to make it interesting.  The drummer also performs some nice patterns that help soften some of the harder melodic changes. 
                The only song that feels out of place is “Problem Child.”  Everything about it feels too harsh and over the top.  I am sure it was supposed to be tongue in cheek, but it messes with the overall tone of the album.  It feels like it would be more at home on a Lovin’ Spoonful or Monkees record.  I have heard plenty of other records that have this same problem, so it’s not anything particular to The Cyrkle.  Heck, even most Beach Boys records had a weird honker like this on them. 
Tones:  There are some very simple sitar parts spread out across the album.  I imagine that producers in 1968 told bands, “You are required to feature sitar, harpsichord, mellotron, or fuzz guitar on this record.  I suggest all of them.”  Actually these touches are very nice.  I especially like the muffled tone on the rudimentary piano solo on “Our Love Affair’s in Question”

Cover Note:  I have always associated neon colors with the late 80’s and early 90’s, so it’s interesting to see it in a 60’s context.  The cover is actually a little boring, especially when compared to other covers released in 1967.  It is just the four band members stoically staring at the camera with two neon circles around them.  80% of the cover is black.  Oh well, they can’t all be gems. 

Price paid:  I paid about $12.00 for this at a local shop.  This particular shop is usually pretty over priced in general, but they do have a massive collection.  I bought it early in my record collecting career, when I was more impulsive.  I am not sure if it’s original or not, but it was in great condition.  Years later, I also bought a copy for my sister that was under $5.00.  Sundazed Records has also reissued both this and the first Cyrkle album.  I highly recommend anything Sundazed presses.  Their attention to detail is unsurpassed. 

Bottom Line:  This is the kind of record you pull out and listen to once every few years.  I am never disappointed with it when I do.  If you already have a large collection of 60’s pop, then you will find a lot to like here.  My wife found it to be pleasant and said she liked a few of the songs.  Given her ambivalence towards soft psych, I consider that a win.  $5.00-$6.00 is a fine price to pay.  

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The Beach Boys "Today!" (1965)

              I recently did a write up of the album “Friends,” and called it the best album, start to finish, that the Beach Boys released post “Pet Sounds.”  I thought I would follow up with my second Beach Boy post and write about the best album, start to finish, pre “Pet Sounds.”  “Today!” is a beautiful album with a rock and roll themed Side One and a mellow/introspective Side Two. 
                I got this album on CD back in the winter of 2001.  I have very strong memories of driving around in my silver Volvo station wagon listening to it just as it was getting cool out.  A strange thing I discovered about this time was that my dad actually really liked The Beach Boys.  He’d gotten me into Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, and even tried to get me to listen to “Sweetheart of the Rodeo." Unlike most teenagers in 1997, I had actually heard of the band “The Flying Burrito Bros.” However, it would take me another decade to realize how good they were. So why not The Beach Boys? 
                I hate to say it.  I really do, but The Beach Boys are not cool for some reason.  I am sure my dad was not feeling self conscious or anything, but it just never came up.  It is only in certain music circles that the Beach Boys are considered amazing anyway.  When I tell people that my favorite band is The Beach Boys, I always get a peculiar look.  I always interpret it as people saying, “I guess that’s super cool.”  If I said my favorite band was the Beatles, no one would bat an eye.  Of course they are amazing.  It’s almost like people know The Beach Boys are great, but can’t understand how they could be your favorite band.  Why would someone brag about that? 
                Like I said, my dad and I never talked about them back then.  The funny thing is though, is that we talk about them all the time now. It’s safe to say that we have spent a large chunk of our relationship talking about Brian and The Beach Boys.  It’s not like we’re done talking about them either.  It is not a rare occurrence for me to go to my folk’s house and see sheet music to “Girls on the Beach” printed out.  We’ve talked about the double modulation at the end of that song, at least once a year for the past 10 years.  The Beach Boys are pretty much a building block of our relationship, and “Today!” is one of the early albums we talked about.   
                If you gave “Today!” to someone who only had a passing fancy with The Beach Boys, it would be hard for them to be disappointed.  Every song has a great hook and the production is second to none.  Take a song like “When I Grow Up To Be a Man.”  The chords are very strange, but not in a way that is distracting.  Brian was so good at making complex stuff sound simple enough.  Not simple, just simple enough.  The harpsichord (which has a very nice prickly quality to it) was an innovative choice of instrumentation.  This is 1965 pre-psychedelic music, and I’m sittin’ here trying to think of another song that featured it before this album.  Let me know if you can name one. 
                “Dance, Dance, Dance” is a roller coaster of a song: lots of excitement and surprises.  It starts with a rippin’ bass line.  Brian has the 12 string guitar double the line, but only after the first half.  This detail really makes the beginning of the song shine.  Then he does the same trick, only with vocals.  Mike sings lead, and it isn’t until the second half of the line that the background vocals kick in.  Brian’s falsetto sits right on top of the song and flies over the chorus.  There is a funky 12 string solo that is glassy and buzzy at the same time.  The most exciting part is the modulation after the solo.  Brian uses the same trick in a third and different way.  The first half of the verse is in the original key, but modulates IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VERSE!  Brilliant and exciting.  I love it every time I hear it.                   
       
         The second side of the album has been described as a precursor to “Pet Sounds,” and I think that is accurate.  It’s quite tender and introspective.  “And please forgive my shaking, can’t you tell my heart is breaking.”  What a line from “Please Let Me Wonder.”  It’s emotionally raw and Brian really puts his very sensitive heart out there.  For those of you who ever had an “on again, off again” relationship in high school or college, “Kiss Me, Baby” is the song for you.  I remember breaking up with my high school girl and feeling like the world was truly over.  It was crushing.  I remember lying in bed at night and wondering “were you still awake like me?”  I wish I’d had this song back them.  Dennis closes out the record with “In the Back of My Mind.”  The manly heartthrob of the band sings, “So happy at times that I break out in tears.  Back of my mind, I still have my fears.” It takes guts to write and sing those lines, and both were done beautifully. 

The last track on the records isn’t even that.  It’s just the boys talking and fooling around.  I’m not sure why it’s even on here.  As far as I am concerned, the album ends after “In the Back of My Mind.”

Tones:  There is a nice bit of guitar and organ interplay in the bridge of “Please Let Me Wonder.”  The tape echo on the guitar draws out the guitar note in a way that feels like the note is falling away from you.  As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of 12 string guitar, both acoustic and electric.  When I think 12 string, I think Roger McGuinn and the Byrds.  The interesting thing is that it is used in an entirely different way.  It sounds nothing like them.      

Cover Note:  Nice sweaters guys. 

Price Paid:  $5.00 for a nice original copy.  It was open, but still had shrink wrap on it. 

Botton Line:  At this point in their career, The Beach Boys were still selling lots of records.  This is great because there are still a lot of nice clean records out there to find, and you can get ‘em cheap.  I wouldn’t pay over $6.00 for this though.  Just keep an eye out and you’ll probably find something cheaper than that.  Play it for your high school sweetheart.  I can’t imagine her not being impressed by side two.  It’s is a no brainer. This is beautiful heartfelt music.

One more thing.  Talk to your dad, or son for that matter, about The Beach Boys.  There is a lot of stuff to talk about.    

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Nino Nardini an Roger Roger "Jungle Obsession" (1971)






Special thanks to Flashstrap Blog for making this album available.

          I have been getting into Exotica over the past few years, and as a result, have become more excited about music than I have since my good friend Vic turned me onto The Beach Boys back in 2001. Every Exotica record I own is either from the 50’s or 60’s though. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that the genre was still being practiced in the 70’s, and that stellar artists were actually pushing the boundaries of Exotica forward. “Jungle Obsession” by Nino Nardini and Roger Roger (great name by the way) is one of those records. Picture everything you love about Exotica (animal sounds, floating strings, mounds of percussion, and marimbas) and mix it with funky drums, moogs, and guitars rife with wah wah, tremolo, delay, and reverb effects. There is a lot of really good stuff going on here.
          My wife digs this record a lot too. Part of being an explorer of music is figuring out what can be played in the house when others, such as your wife and kids, are around, and what is relegated to headphone land. My wife has always been very open minded when it comes to new music, and will give everything a fair chance, no matter how weird. As a result, “Jungle Obsession” has been rolling through our house during breakfast, lunch, and dinner for days now. My son has been getting some good head bobs in as this one plays as well.
          The song “Jungle Obsession” starts off with bongos, and a bass line played by a moog. I love this updated sound. “Murmuring Leaves” follows and really kicks in with that mellow exotic vibe. The synthesizer they use to play the solo reminds me of the lofty flutes solos from more classic Exotica. Some high pitched whistles, that are almost Theremin like, are very interesting as well.
          There is a bit of a “Jungle Book” theme with some of the track names. “Mowgli” has a wonderfully compressed wah-wah guitar sound. The tone sounds like some of the garage rock clean guitar sounds I have heard on some compilations. The volume is loud, but it is played very softly. It’s right on the verge of breaking up. The strings that start in “Bagheera” are replaced with some string ensemble synthesizer in the second verse. What a great idea! Like I said, this is updated Exotica. All these late 60’s sounds were just begging to be put on an Exotica record. These ideas were just there for the taking, and Nino and Roger took ‘em. “Shere Khan” is as creepy as the name implies and it’s hard to listen to without feeling like someone, or something, is staring at you.
          I really can’t say enough good things about this record, however there are two comments about the percussion from my sister and wife that were very interesting to me. First, I burned a copy of this for my sister (who has great musical taste) and she really liked it. She did say that the rubbing sound (the one that sounds like two pieces of paper being rubbed against each other) in “Creeping Danger” was horrible, and made her teeth hurt. Interesting, I really liked it. She does have a weird quirk where she can’t stand to hear the sound of cotton being pulled apart, so I think it’s part of that whole thing. Yeah I know. It’s strange. Everybody has their sounds they can’t stand, and one of hers just happened to be on “Jungle Obsession.” Secondly, my wife said that the clacking percussion of “Murmuring Leaves” sounded like she was “walking through a Hawaiian gift shop.” I couldn’t possibly come up with a more interesting way to describe it. It’s quite accurate.

Tones:  The bass on this record is very cool.  It has a delightful thump on the front end, and a thick sustain.  “Bali Girl” is a great example of this.  I love how the sound fills up the whole stereo spectrum, but isn’t overwhelming.  This is a credit to the phenomenal mixing on this record.  Speaking of “Bali Girl,” I love that clanky guitar sound.  It’s almost got a little pop to it.  Very tasty.  The rest of the album also has wonderful string sounds that are voluptuously thick and humid.

Cover Note:  There are two!  I really like the one with the bananas on it though.  That green color is so lush.  Here is the other one:

Price Paid:  Not a thing.  I found this record over at Flashstrap Blog for download. If you have not checked out this guy’s site, you are in for a treat.  His writing is great and the stuff he puts up will blow your mind.  I am so grateful he put this record up.  It’s very special.  Finish reading this, and go check his site out. 


Bottom Line:  I have never seen a vinyl copy of this.  If you see it, and you have the means, I say just buy it.  If you paid $30.00 or $40.00 for a nice copy, it would be very reasonable.  The words “Lost Classic” get thrown around a lot, but this really is one.  It’s a must hear.   

Saturday, January 11, 2014

The Beach Boys "Friends" (1968)


            “We've been friends now for so many years.”  They're singing to me, right?  Well, it feels like they are.  I am unashamed to say that The Beach Boys are my favorite band of all time.  It’s safe to say that I own all of their albums, save for a few that were put out very late in their career.  I think that the best of their work should be held in the same regard as Mozart, Gershwin, Bacharach, Miles Davis, and The Beatles.  Their average stuff is better than what most bands ever dream of creating, and their bad stuff is…well…hard to listen to, even for a fan as dedicated as I am.  So where does “Friends” fit into all of this?
            1968 was a rough year for Brian and the boys.  They had lost a lot of credibility with the record buying public after “Smile” fell apart, and were seen as unhip by many music lovers.  I’m not really sure why this is.  After all, it had only been two years since “Pet Sounds,” and even less time since their epic single “Good Vibrations.”  Were people’s memories that short?  Could music tastes change that fast in the 60’s?  I always have a hard time understanding that, but what do I know?  I was born in 1982.  My dad (who was born in the 1950’s) told me that he used to love the early Beach Boys singles and albums, but that he never really got into the late 60’s stuff.  When he sat down a few years ago and listened to “Smile,” “Friends,” “20/20,” and “Sunflower,” he loved them. 
            To me “Friends” is the best album, start to finish, that the Beach Boys released post “Pet Sounds.”  They have albums with better songs, but this album really gels nicely.  It has a wonderfully light vibe that is calm and inviting.  The songs are not heady and will not blow your mind in the typical late 60’s mind explosion way, but are special in a different kind of way.    
            Take a song like “Busy Doin’ Nothing.”  He mentions sharpening a pencil and writing reminder notes.  Seriously, that is the action in the song.  That, combined with the directions to his house he gives to a potential visitor, makes for a very interesting song.  Nobody wrote about this stuff back them.  Ray Davies of the Kinks was certainly mining some new ground talking about little, seemingly unimportant people, but Brian took even simpler things and created great songs with them.  Top it off with a great sounding clarinet section and you have a wonderfully original and compelling tune.  Can you even name five pop songs that have clarinet sections on them?  “When I’m 64” by the Beatles comes to mind, but then there is a pretty steep drop off.  It should also be noted that the chords on this song are very advanced too. 
            After the wonderfully short opening song “Meant for You,” we get “Friends.”  Everything you love about The Beach Boys is present in this song: harmonies, harmonicas, and high notes.  Although not as confident as he once was, Brain was still at the top of his game, and could crank out some very highly developed tunes.  How cool is it that there is a modulation after only six seconds?  Brian was a master and it shows all over this album.  One little quirk I have noticed is that at 1:21 in the song you can hear someone turn over a piece of paper, presumably sheet music.  I guess when you listen to something hundreds of times you start to pick that stuff up.       
            “Passing By” is wonderfully breezy, and contains some swirling organ sounds in the bridge.  Some baritone instrument also buzzes away.  I’m not even sure what it is.  It could be an organ, baritone sax, or fuzz box on goodness knows what.  In the outro, the melody is changed very slightly which renews your interest just as the song fades out.   
            As a new father, “When a Man Needs a Woman” has become more interesting.  It’s been very fun sitting with my son listening to a song about Brian waiting for his baby to come.  So many artists write songs about their kids, but Brian takes an original perspective by focusing on this particular thought.  Waiting for your son to be born is a thought provoking experience, and I can certainly relate to wanting to make your child feel loved when they get here.      
            The other songs do not disappoint either.  Dennis nails it with “Little Bird” and “Be Still.” “Diamond Head” feels like Brian’s attempt at Exotica.  “Anna Lee, the Healer” makes me wonder exactly how Anna Lee is helping these boys.  “Wake the World” has some great tuba on it, and “Transcendental Meditation” finishes off the record with some blaring horns and mantra like harmonies. 

Tones:  The sound of The Beach Boys voices’ together is one of the seven wonders of the music world.  The sound makes me feel like I’m 16 years old, feeling things so deeply that it’s scary.  There is something else mixed in there with the harmonies, and to try and figure out what it is would be futile.  I’m just gonna listen instead.     

Cover Note:  This is a very cheerful cover that would not be out of place on a country record.  Bruce looks a little weird though, and Carl’s face is very…wide.  Mike, as always, has a hat on.  Maybe that’s why I think it looks like a country cover. 

Price Paid:  I actually have two vinyl copies.  One is an original pressing, but I really can’t remember how much I paid.  I did however get an unopened reissue for only $6.00 at a record show. 

Bottom Line:  If you have the early stuff, “Pet Sounds,” and “Smile,” then this is the next logical step.  I wouldn't give this to somebody as a starting point, but once you dig their sounds, this is just more of the good.  The CD reissue is also paired with the follow up “20/20.”  That album is good too and the bonus tracks are totally worth it.  

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Dusty Springfield "Dusty in Memphis" (1969)

                I have been listening to “Dusty in Memphis” for a long time.  My dad may have been the first person to tell me to listen to her, but I’m not sure.  I remember hearing her singles a lot, but this is the first full album I purchased of hers.  It is definitely a classic, and one of my favorites, but I don’t really hear a lot of people talk about it, except for “Son of a Preacher Man.”  There is not a bad song on here, which is understandable because most are written by either Gerry Goffin and Carol King; Burt Bacharach and Hal David; or Randy Newman. 
                The Randy Newman songs are the most quirky of the bunch.  “Just One Smile” starts off with some picked and then strummed nylon string guitar that is very pleasant.  Dusty’s delivery on this song is wonderful, especially considering the subject matter.  I find the idea of a person begging their lover for “just one smile” so they can have “a little dream to build my world upon” to be an interesting perspective.  It’s the dream of love that they are feeling, not anything real.  The same concept is explored by The Turtles in “Happy Together.”  It’s easy to forget (especially with that wonderfully classic Turtle’s chorus) that the first words to the song are “Imagine me and you…”  Randy Newman also throws in some great chord changes that really make the transition from verse to chorus very dramatic.
                “The Windmills of your Mind” is also great.  I took a trip to Chicago with my buddies Telly and Chris when I was about 24.  We were lucky enough to fine a very cool jazz club one night.  The two songs the band played that left the greatest impression that night were  “Birdland” and “The Windmills of Your Mind.”  I actually went over and talked to the drummer that night and told him how impressed I was that they threw that song in.  I had never heard it live before that night, and I have not since.  It was awesome to connect with someone over such an obscure song.  I don’t know why it stuck with me so much, but it was a defining moment on an already great trip. 
                “Just a Little Lovin’” is also a pretty great way to start to the record.  There is a sly sexuality to this song that I have always enjoyed.  And ain’t it the truth?  Wouldn’t the world a be all the better if we all had a little lovin’ early in the morning.  I feel like this song reflects some of the hippie pathos of 1969 without being in your face about it.  I also like that she sings “when the world is yawnin’.”  It makes the world sound sleepy, not her.  This is an important element to the song.   
                Over the years, my relationship to this album has changed a lot.  With its smooth melancholy strings and subdued rhythm section, it actually makes a very nice sounding Christmas record.  For going on 7 years, my wife and I have made it a tradition to listen to “Dusty in Memphis” while we decorate our Christmas tree.  I highly recommend you give this record a spin in this context.  It’s very pleasant and satisfying. 

Tones:  Dusty’s voice is powerful and hazy at the same time.  When she hits the big notes in “Don’t Forget About Me” you really see what a talent she is.  She can whisper and she can belt.  She also sounds like a cigarette smoker, which I’m sorry folks, is incredibly cool.  Maybe not in the long run, but defiantly in an ephemeral way.  Also, check out the tiny touch of reverb on Dusty’s voice.  It’s perfect: anymore and you would lose presence, and any less you would dry up and float away.  There are also softly spoken Motown style background vocals on “I Don’t Want to Hear It” that are not done by Dusty.  They actually put off a really cool attitude that contrasts nicely with Dusty’s delivery. 

Price Paid:  This was an Ebay purchase and was bundled with a “Best of the Supreme’s” record for some reason.  I don’t remember paying more than $15.00 for both.  Dusty’s record is definitely the rarer of the two. 

Cover Note:  Dusty stares directly into you with those penetrating, smoky eyes.  When I was a younger man, I found it hard not to stare back.  I really wanted to hear this record.  It just looks like a record that’s always been in your collection.  Her dress is also ornate in a way that you would never see nowadays.  I have always been intrigued by those fingernails too.  No woman I ever met had ‘em shaped like that. 

Bottom Line:  It’s a wonderful record without a bad song.  This is the place to start with if you want to get into Dusty Springfield.  It’s not a rare record, but it did not sell as well as expected, and sellers know it is a classic.  $10-$12 is fair.  There is also a re-mastered CD version that is great.  It includes a massive 14 extra bonus tracks.  The original album only had 11 songs to start.  That’s a steal.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Esquivel "More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds" (1962)

                If this was the late 1960’s, I would have loved to catch an Esquivel show in Las Vegas.   There is a good chance that I would have been so thrilled to hear those arrangements that I would have had, what my Pop refers to as, “A Big Shit Eatin’ Grin” on my face.  Esquivel’s music is so electric and full of life.  It’s loud, bombastic, and it’s very strange.  If you ever come across one of his LP’s and look at the song titles, you may think, “I’ve heard all of this before.”  This may be true, but not like this you haven’t.
                “The Breeze and I” is one of those songs that pops up on countless records from the 50’s and 60’s.  It’s one of my favorites, mainly because it has such a memorable melody with a fantastic range.  It starts low and soars to well over an octave, pushed by explosive horns and sheets of piano glissandos.  Esquivel’s version also changes rhythm several times until it finally feels like you have taken flight by the end. 
                A buddy of mine turned me onto Esquivel a few years ago, and I’m so glad he did.  It’s rare that you find music where the personality of the arranger is so embedded in the music.  Just look at the picture of this guy on the back cover with his crazy, space-age, horn-rimmed glasses.  The music sounds like this guy looks.  His piano playing is also an integral part of sound.  It’s truly sailing.  I have never heard triplets and 16th notes played this perfectly before.  It’s like a color guard waving flags over a rhythm, or throwing a laughing child into the air.  This is fiercely relaxed concentration.  It’s one of a kind. 
                
                One of the defining instruments on most of the Esquivel records I have heard is the (non pedal) steel guitar.  It makes me so happy that it is on here because I love the sound so much.  Whether it is country, Hawaiian, or any other kind of music, I just love it.  The nice thing about these arrangements is how the steel is used.  Sometimes it’s just a sound effect, or a two bar line, but it adds so much.  Check out the lick about three quarters of the way through “Street of Dreams.”  It’s gone before you know it.  It’s like you are in the middle of a wonderful day, and at some point you see a good friend in his car, waving at you and honking his horn.  It wasn’t the defining quality of the day, but golly it was a nice addition that made you smile from ear to ear.  My son loves a steel guitar too.  He has a ball playing the one I have laying around here. 
                Esquivel records are also major “ping-pong” records.  They bounce around the room like an overly sugared child (not mine of course.)  They are really made with headphones or a great stereo in mind.  On a strange note, I have a copy of “Strings Aflame” that is a mono pressing.  It lacks some of the pizzazz of my other Esquivel records.  I highly recommend listening to the stereo albums with headphones if you haven’t.  I also played this record for my buddy Frank, and the stereo movement impressed the heck out of him.  He had that same “Grin” I mentioned earlier. 

Tones: What a wonderful collection of sounds.  The wordless/sound effect vocals (ex. POW!!!, and ZHOO ZHOO ZHOOO) are just good clean fun.  The brass is on fire and bright as a flashbulb. 

Cover Note:  Perhaps not the most exciting Esquivel cover, but still neat.  The contrast on the face makes the woman look almost alien.  That’s some pretty dark eye makeup too.

Pride paid:  I just read on Allmusic.com that this is “Traditionally the most sought after and highest valued Esquivel record.”  I got mine for $2.00 at the Florida Fairgrounds Record Show!  Now I like it even more.  It feels so good to get a good record for cheap.

Bottom Line:  This one will impress your friends and is great for a party.  Esquivel records are apparently getting harder to find, but this one just fell in my lap, so they are out there.  I’ll let you make your own decision on what to pay, but rest assured the music is exceptional and a welcome addition to any collection. 

One last thing.  I just reread this and realized I mentioned smiling three times in this write up.  Buy this if you wanna smile.  J