A couple of years ago I started to hit dead ends with my record collecting. I have been extremely fortunate that there are a couple of good record stores where I live. Needless to say, they have been picked through over the years and all that was left was overpriced filler. There is a monthly record show in my area with dealers from along the east coast. The show is great if you are into Elvis, The Beatles, or The Rolling Stones. My genre (punk) is hit or miss. I like what I like, I cannot always explain why I like it, but I know it when I hear it. I am not a big fan of buying used records on the internet because my idea of near mint condition can be different from someone else’s.
I have always been a fan of The Velvet Underground. Some old cassettes and Lou Reed records were about all I have owned. They seemed like a good vein of music to try tapping. Between Reed, John Cale, and Nico there was plenty of music to explore. This coincided with a planned trip to NYC with a friend to do some record shopping.
I was able to get some more Lou Reed records, the first three studio albums by Nico and a stack of John Cale. All in all, it was a solid day. The following day was the day to clean, switch out inner sleeves with new ones and put everything in outer protective sleeves. Everything then gets logged into my Discogs account to keep track of it all. During this process I play some of the records to make sure there are no skips or crackles.
The record that first went on the turntable was Vintage Violence by John Cale. It is a beautiful melodic record. The next one was the album Fear; I was blown away and became an instant fan of his music. From the opening track, Fear is a man’s best friend, to the song Gun, to the closing track, Momamma Scuba. It has become a go-to record for all occasions. The album includes some incredibly talented musicians such as Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), and Richard Thompson.
It amazes me that it took forty years for me to really discover the career of John Cale. I like to think I have a good knowledge of music, but this just proves I still have a lot to learn. So, my question to you, dear readers, is “What artist with a nice back catalogue is worth discovering or rediscovering”?
Speaking of record collections, how many records are too many (asking for a friend)?
That’s like asking Mrs. Butcher how many fabric samples are too many. For the record, I have an answer of my own with which she disagrees.
With books and records, you can never have too many.
i agree
the issue is having not enough house to store them all
All of them.
John Cale is a bad motherfucker, for sure. For me, the artist who always amazes me is Colin Linden. When he was a kid he befriended Howlin’ Wolf, but he doesn’t play straight blues. Here’s a representative sample:
hmmm..good artists with a strong backlog..i cant really help you there…
tbh…i find stuff and then get distracted by more stuff…wich is how ive ended up with a pretty scitzophrenic collection of music
soooo…ill just recomend danny vera again….hes working on a pretty strong backlog (also far as i know he just got signed by a big international record label…soo hey maybe he’ll turn up in the states now..lol)
great stuff farscy!
…I guess one I come back to with a fair degree of frequency would be JJ Cale?
…to some folks he might just be the guy that did After Midnight/Cocaine before everyone thought of them as Clapton tunes but I have kind of a soft spot for a bunch of his stuff
I used to hang out at this record store in Chapel Hill when I was a kid, and they used to play this one. I thought it was pretty cool.
I find Anton Fier really interesting, he’s worked with a lot of great bands and people.
The Lounge Lizards – Do the Wrong Thing
The Golden Palominos – Hot Seat
Anton Fier – Dreamspeed
And I’m pretty obsessed with Harold Budd who I discovered by way of Brian Eno.
The Plateaux of Mirror
I really like his work with Robin Guthrie. I posted this one on a DUAN.
Harold Budd and The Cocteau Twins – Sea Swallow Me
I wish I could get more into Cale. I came away really impressed with him after seeing this interview.
I’m going to throw The Tragically Hip out there for any non-Canadians who might not be familiar with them or their back-catalogue.
Love the Hip, @myopicprophet. RIP, Gord.
I’ll put two bands here. I’ve used both of them in past DUANs and Saturday Brain Drains, no doubt.
Scotland’s Idlewild. Punky beginnings and then a turn into something really diverse.
Early
Mid
Latest
And Manchester’s Doves. More electric/techno beginning that also evolved noticeably.
Early
Mid
Latest
Both bands took a hiatus for a few years in the 2000s or 2010s and then resumed with some great music. And both have greatest hits discs that might be good starting points to get into their catalogue, or at least the earlier part of it.
Momamma Scuba
and the entire Fear album
btw, lots, lots of good music in this thread!