Latest CD/LP/Music DVD Purchase.....

[AT-Man]

I bought Donna Lewis - Now In A Minute CD. Sometimes you just need to chill.

[Leo656]

Today at Walmart, I lucked out and found "Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and "Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll never Forgets" by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band.

Neat!

[Leo656]

Picked up the latest CD by The Offspring, "Let The Bad Times Roll", and have been blasting it in the car all week.

While it doesn't quite feel like a record that should have taken almost ten years to put out, it's still very satisfying. A few songs sound like stuff that could have been on their first two records, easily. "This Is Not Utopia" is one of their all-time best album-openers and probably the best song on the record, period. The mid-point guitar cover of "In The Hall of the Mountain King" is pretty fun, one of their better "Intermission"-style tracks that they like to put halfway through their records. And it's nice to finally have a studio-recorded version of the newer piano ballad arrangement of "Gone Away" that they've been performing at live shows for about ten years now. It's hard to believe that "Coming For You" came out in 2015, already. Yeesh.

If there's a downside to it, it's that like their "Splinter" album, everything on it is quite good but the record itself is rather short, clocking in at just over 33 minutes. On the upside, there's no real "filler" (although "We Never Have Sex Anymore" doesn't feel especially necessary, although the experimentation with a horn section is a fun deviation from their normal sound). On the other hand, it took them ten years to put out a record that's a half hour long, and that just always feels weird. Doesn't especially bother me but I know it bothers some people.

On the whole, it probably won't crack anyone's Top Three Offspring Records or anything, but every record they've ever put out has had at least two or three songs on it that have become all-time personal favorites of mine and this one is no different. Like the band itself, it's "Nothing Fancy, Just Consistently Good." Given the overall sh*tty state of music right now, that's perfectly fine.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by AT-Man

I bought Donna Lewis - Now In A Minute CD. Sometimes you just need to chill.

Dude, I just clicked on this topic and saw this post at the top. That is a terrific album. All the way through it's just this level of pansy-comfort-listening that can't be beat. "Without Love". Most people don't even know who that is, but I distinctly remember the Summer where she got all sorts of radio play.

It's like listening to the Real McCoy or Roxette. It's just solid material.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Picked up the latest CD by The Offspring, "Let The Bad Times Roll", and have been blasting it in the car all week.

Such a great band. I couldn't stand them in High School while I was listening to a lot of testosterone rock like early STP's "Piece of Pie". But man... The Offspring just have great track after great track on so many of their albums.

[Leo656]

One of my all-time favorites, ever since "Smash". Got to see them live twice, both times at the Stone Pony; once in 1997 right after "Ixnay on the Hombre" came out, and again in 2012 when they were touring in support of the last record, "Days Go By". Front row both times. Indoor the first time, outdoor the second time. I got the setlist from the 2012 show, I still have it.

The '97 show was my first "real" concert, and I have so many great memories. AFI and L7 were the opening acts. Did my first crowd-surfing when L7 played "Pretend We're Dead"; I was trying to save it for when Offspring came on but it just couldn't be helped. At one point Dexter asked if anyone had any requests; I was listening to the first Offspring record a ton at that time so I yelled out for them to play "Jennifer Lost The War". He was like "We forgot how to play 'Jennifer Lost The War', sorry man!" Then someone else called out "Sweet Child of Mine", and Noodles actually started playing the intro for a minute before he went off into something else. Then during the intermission, while they played the "Intermission" track from Ixnay on the PA, Dexter came out and handed a bunch of people in the front row some giant plastic cups of beer (and spilled a few on other people). That was much appreciated, as it was hot as Satan's ballsack in there that night; they over-sold the show so the Pony was at like one-and-a-half capacity. It's NJ, nobody gives a sh*t about fire codes.

After the show we met Davey from AFI in the parking lot, super nice guy (I got to be front row for them a few years ago when they headlined Starland Ballroom, too). Then we looked up and the guys from Offspring were just hanging out on the corner outside the venue like a couple'a bums. It took everyone a minute for the "Holy sh*t, it's THEM!" to sink in among the rabble, which the guys were visibly quite amused by.

They couldn't have been more gracious, Dexter in particular. They took time to sign for everyone who had anything and talked to everyone like they were pals. Just really great, down-to-Earth guys. I asked Dexter if they really forgot how to play "Jennifer...", he's like "Nah, we just don't really play stuff from the first record much anymore, most people don't know it, they wanna hear newer stuff." They DID play "Beheaded" off the first record, but that was pretty much a constant staple of theirs for many years by that point so I guess it would've been weirder if they hadn't played it. I asked him why he cut his hair and he was like "Eh, I just got sick of it. Time for a change, y'know man? Plus it was kinda starting to smell..."

Awesome dudes. Never got stuck-up or pretentious despite selling like 40 million records and Dexter having a goddamn Doctorate in Molecular Biology. Doctor f*cking Dexter, I still can't believe that one. By all accounts they're still the same humble, goofy guys they always were, which not a lot of guys can say after a 35-year run.

I read an interview recently where they asked Dex how he feels about the fact that it's never been "hip" to admit liking Offspring, and how they never got the respect or attention a lot of their peers have gotten despite selling tons of records and almost constantly being a presence. He just laughed it off and was like "Yeah, nobody likes us except The People. I can live with that." Such a dude.

[Barkworm]

I've slowly been getting into collecting Vinyl. I've been buying CDs forever and Vinyl always seemed rather hipster to me. But recently I noticed how some records I have, had increased in value and that got me interested in limited editions of albums I really enjoy and whose artwork I find great (covers just look way better in Vinyl size).

If this seems pretentious to you, I might agree. But it's something I've been having fun with recently.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Barkworm

I've slowly been getting into collecting Vinyl. I've been buying CDs forever and Vinyl always seemed rather hipster to me. But recently I noticed how some records I have, had increased in value and that got me interested in limited editions of albums I really enjoy and whose artwork I find great (covers just look way better in Vinyl size).

If this seems pretentious to you, I might agree. But it's something I've been having fun with recently.

That is awesome. I am a vinyl guy as well!

[IMJ]

I just landed a copy of "Behind the Orange Curtain" from the Bullet Boys. Absolute grail of a CD to find. Importing it onto my HMS now...

[IMJ]

It seems like it was pop culture mania today all over the Northwest Suburbs - FCBD everywhere, Graham Crackers had sales and several of the cooler record stores had special things going on too.

I picked up a ton of stuff:

Ministry - "I'm Falling / Cold Life" from Wax Trax! The original 1981 pressing on record too - the one with the Union Station cover. It's an absolute grail for Wax Trax! listeners.

The Melvins - "Houdini" The original 1993 Atlantic release on CD. Anyone who had their formative years during the arrival of Grunge should know this one.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin - "God Fodder" Same as above.

Down - "III - Over The Under" The great side project from Pantera's Phil Anselmo. I've had this album but I found a like-new copy of the Deluxe Edition Best Buy Exclusive with the DVD in it. All of the Down albums are good finds in the wild. People just don't let them go.

Down - "Diary Of A Mad Band" another solid find. Live album that I never previously picked up.

Also picked up the "Silicon Jesus" single from Psykosonik - any Wax Trax! CD's are always good grabs.