A poet & performance artist by night, an employee of a small bookstore by day, Patti Smith’s life changed on this date in 1975 when her debut album Horses was released on Arista. One of the most influential albums of the decade, “Redondo Beach” & “Birdland” are two of the many key tracks on Horses.

The Kinks’ Lola vs Powerman (1970): It isn’t a rock opera, it’s a rock autopsy of the music biz. Ray Davies harmonized his grievances. Each track a chapter in disillusionment that slices through fame with melody as its weapon. A Trojan horse of catchy tunes and industry takedown. #TheKinks #Vinyl

The title Everybody Digs Bill Evans (1959) wasn’t marketing, it was prophesy. Some albums age, this one marinates. It’s a masterclass in restraint and resonance. The kind of album that makes you lean in, not turn up. It doesn’t demand attention, it earns it. #Jazz #BillEvans #Vinyl

Something Else By The Kinks (1967) -the hinge between distortion and concept albums. A bookshelf in disguise, full of Ray Davies’ character studies of domestic melancholy. You can hear the kettle boiling between verses. It’s like showing up to a psychedelic party in a tweed jacket. #Kinks #vinyl

The Idiot is the hidden gem from Bowie and Iggy Pop's Berlin era.

It's easy to masquerade Pop as the title, but this made Low and Heroes possible, while being essential listening in itself.

It was the result of a new world for its creators, all while sounding like the end too.

#MusicSky #VinylSky

You don’t find Brief Encounter’s 1977 debut, it finds you. If Earth, Wind & Fire had a quiet cousin who recorded at Muscle Shoals, it’d be Brief Encounter. Same soul. Less spectacle. All groove. This album doesn’t walk, it glides, nods, and hands you a drink. #vinyl #funk #soul

I wasn't a big fan of Eric Carmen's solo career but I loved The Raspberries. For some reason, I always compared them to Big Star: '70s power pop group with a real gift for strong hooks, started recording the same year as Big Star. Two underrated bands that deserved more recognition. RIP Eric Carmen.

There’s a Riot Goin’ On – Sly & Family Stone’s 5th studio album – was released today in 1971 on Epic. It should have been a peak moment for the band, but Sly Stone’s personal well-being was quickly deteriorating – there is a melancholic feel to the lp. Nevertheless, it reached #1 on U.S. lp charts.

War’s biggest selling lp – The World is a Ghetto – was released today in 1972 on United Artists. Buttressed by two top-10 singles – “Cisco Kid” (#2 pop) & the title track (#7 pop) – this lp climbed to #1 on both the pop/rock & the R&B album charts. The World is a Ghetto likely is War’s masterpiece.

OK, regardless of source, credit where due: That's a great headline.

Rust Never Sleeps. The first acoustic side is contemplative and quite splendid. But the electric side is where things get really good. Powderfinger alone is worth the price of the LP. One of Young's best works and a landmark rock album. Period. Still stunning in 2025.

The Steve Miller Band 'Sailor'

#Nowplaying

The Steve Miller Band 'Sailor' UK 1969 stereo.

One of those often forgotten gems.

#SteveMillerBand #psychedelic #rock #Blues #1960s #rockmusic #vinyl #Music #Musicsky #vinylcollection #vinylcommunity

The 1st Crosby, Stills & Nash LP is a bona fide classic. The thought of it always bring me back to my record-selling job in the early '90s. It's clearly a product of its time but the quality of the material and the lovely vocal harmonies transcend a few dated elements. Judy Blue Eyes is a highlight.

RIP to one of the all-time greats... Jack DeJohnette has passed away at age 83. The legendary drummer is pictured here at the September 24, 1965 recording session for Jackie McLean's "Jacknife," which marked his first appearance on a Blue Note record.

Starless and Bible Black. Sandwiched between Larks Tongues in Aspic and Red, it is harder hitting and more "vocal" than the former and weirder, more ambitious than the latter. In hindsight, it's arguably KC's most balanced LP. Superb performances all around. Bruford is especially impressive here.

Hejira. For some, this LP is Joni's Taj Mahal. The high point of her career. For me, it's a spacious, comfy hotel room. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Not her most melodic work. Takes a few spins to warm to it; a real grower. Love the jazz elements and the presence of the great Jaco Pastorius.

Superfly (1972) is a blaxploitation flick where the soundtrack is the moral compass. Curtis Mayfield was the Greek chorus in bell bottoms. The film said “Priest’s got a plan.” Curtis said, “Sheeet, get wise mofo, that Cadillac don’t come with a conscience. Soul with a warning label. #Vinyl

At 22, most people are just figuring out laundry, Dylan was calling out senators. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1964) is Dylan’s most direct album, the closest he came to journalism, before the masks multiply. He doesn’t rage, he judges like someone who knows how the story ends. #BobDylan #vinyl

Matt Andersen’s voice on Halfway Home by Morning (2019) is so rich it should come with a cholesterol warning. He doesn’t need autotune, he needs a mic, a groove and enough room for his voice to knock the walls down. If you get the chance to see him live, go. He’s a force of nature. #MattAndersen

#nowspinning #nowplaying #musicsky #bobdylan

Bob Dylan - Tempest
2012 Columbia CD

urge to listen to some "recent" bob.
it's 13 years old already! sigh

old timey sound vocals skillfully croaked
crack band enables it all

You don’t just listen to Otis Redding’s Otis Blue (1965), you surrender to it. It’s a soul baptism. Every track a sermon, every note a scar. Otis didn’t sing songs, he testified. He walked into the studio with a voice and a vision. Recorded in 24hrs - that’s not talent, that’s sorcery! #OtisRedding

#ArtistFave15
Joni Mitchell
#MusicChallenge

3—Help Me

This single was maybe the first sign that Joni was going jazzy. Nobody seemed to mind. When your song boasts a perfect melody line, supported by an arrangement this beautiful, it would be churlish to complain.

#musicsky #nowplaying #vinyl

October 10.1969
It’s too nice to be inside ; so I have the windows open and King Crimson on the turntable for its 56th birthday.

Released in 1969 - In The Court Of The Crimson King is regarded as the intro to Prog Rock.

Love this cover.

#kingcrimson #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #vinylsky

In 1974 Joni Mitchell released the live album Miles of Aisles. She says, “Nobody ever said to Van Gogh, ‘paint Starry Night again, man.’” Her entire artistic philosophy wrapped in wit. It’s listening to Joni outgrow the room. She’s playing hits but mentally composing Hejira. #JoniMitchell #vinyl

Listening to The Black Crowes’ 30th Anniversary reissue of Shake Your Money Maker (1990) and realizing my money maker has been shaken, stirred and spent on vinyl reissues. Chris sings like a man who has read Bukowski and believes in redemption. A barstool confessional wrapped in blues and bravado.

Daydreams and Nightmares, by Rick Graham 10 track album

rickgraham.bandcamp.com/album/daydre...
Hey everyone! I’m very excited to announce my newest album, Daydreams and Nightmares is now available on Bandcamp. Of special interest, my granddaughter, Lillian Graham, conceived and produced the cover art for this album. Yay Lily!! Xoxo

Jack White didn’t release No Name (2024), he detonated it. Like a bootleg from himself that showed up in record stores like a secret handshake. It’s carnal and chaotic and screams ‘Jack White’! A sonic Molotov cocktail hurled with the precision of a poet and the rage of a punk. #JackWhite #vinyl

YouTube video by The Zombies - Topic Changes

#ArtistFaveLP
Odessey and Oracle
#MusicChallenge

3—Changes

The overwhelming chorus sounds like what it feels like to spontaneously strip and dive in the sea. A totally uninhibited burst, with a sober drop to the glorious mellotron, to let you get your breath back. Superb.

#musicsky #nowplaying

The Marshall Tucker Band’s A New Life (1974): Perhaps Southern rocks most adventurous detour. Some country, blues, jazz and even prog touches. Slide guitars, flute solos, and spiritual awakening’s wrapped in denim and dust. Toy Caldwell’s guitar testifies and that flute is the ghost in the machine.

You’re living in the future and the past simultaneously. That’s the Utopia way. It’s basically the Rosetta Stone of synth-pop-prog fusion.