Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#320 in the Series) is Paul Revere and the Raiders, Midnight Ride. This is another album that was a staple during my formative years.  My two older sisters didn’t bring home a ton of albums but this is one that they did.  I played it to death. Well, in all actuality I played “Kicks” to death.  I probably should have had them buy me the 45. It could have saved them some wear on their album. I only learned years later that the song was actually drug related. I just thought it was cool! This, as do many Paul Revere and the Raiders albums, falls into the same formula. That being, “Go ahead boys, feel free...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#318 in the Series , and #24 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is B.B. King, Live in  Cook Country Jail. B.B. King, Live in Cool County Jail was most likely my introduction to the blues. It was a long time ago. I don’t remember any other blues albums that I had before this one.  I don’t think I had it the year it was released, 1971, but it wasn’t long after that. This isn’t a long album. It clocks in just over 38 minutes. It does however; contain many of the B. B. King songs that you’d want.  I’ve seen him in concert a few times. I can tell you that his...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#317 in the Series) is Rosanne Cash, The List When Rosanne Cash was 18, she was spending most of her time on tour with her famous father, Johnny.  One day, Johnny was checking out what she was listening to.  Most of her tastes, like most teenagers, were towards the music of the day.  He thought it was time to teach her a little bit about music. So he brought her into the tour bus, sat her down, and wrote out a list of, what he felt, were the 100 most essential country songs of American music history. She held onto that list. She would look at it year after year.  She became quite...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#316 in the Series) is Orange Juice, You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever It’s impossible to write anything about Orange Juice without first mentioning Postcard Records.Founded by Alan Horne and operated from his bedroom , Postcard was a tiny independent label which went on to have massive influence. It was also the label which released the debut singles by Aztec Camera, The Go – Betweens, Josef K and, trailblazing the labels tongue-in-cheek motto “The Sound Of Young Scotland”, with four seminal 7′ releases , Orange Juice. Orange Juice quickly outgrew the label and moved on to Polydor Records, heading straight into the studio to start work on their debut album. When it finally...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#315 in the Series, and #3 in the Whale Wednesday Series) is Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Today we continue our Whale Wednesday Series.  The idea being that we don’t want to neglect the big sellers that also hold onto some “cool” status. We know you know about these albums. However, as mentioned before, once a week, on Wednesdays, we’re still going to give them a feature. I think it’s fun to check back on some of them. I also love clicking on that playlist and just letting it roll. One of the reasons I like clicking on those playlists is of course to hear these albums again. Why? Mainly it’s because...

Today’s Cool Album Of the Day (#314 in the Series) is The Walker Brothers, Night Flights What do David Bowie, Brian Eno, Midge Ure of Ultravox, and Iggy Pop all have in common?  One unlikely musical hero: Scott Walker. Okay, let’s dispense with the shameless yellow journalism right out of the gate: no, it’s not THAT Scott Walker.  In fact, none of the Walker Brothers, the subject of today’s Cool Album, are actually Walkers by birth, but, rather, took the Ramones approach to pop stardom, way back in the early 60s. A little history: The Walker Brothers started as a pop group in pre-British Invasion Los Angeles, and found themselves positioned as a unique (and somewhat feeble) American “counter-strike”....

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#313 in the Series) is Faces, A Nod Is as Good as a Wink… to a Blind Horse. A Nod Is as Good as a Wink… to a Blind Horse. What a classic name for a classic early seventies album.  “Nod” was the third album from one of the UK’s best exports, Faces. It features one of the best singles of that era, Stay With Me. I had forgotten how great that track was!  I recently heard it again after a ‘long time no hear.’  I just love the drawn out ending. Shame on you 70s AM radio for cutting it off. This was released just after Rod Stewart had a huge hit...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#312 in the Series) is The Jayhawks, Tomorrow the Green Grass. A lot of great music has come out of Minneapolis, but I think of the Replacements, Husker Du, or Prince as acts that are identified with the Twin City area. The Jayhawks have a much different feel, and their alt- country-rock sound is just the kind of music that made an impact in the 90’s. Tomorrow the Green Grass was their 4th album, and the final release with Mark Olson. The Jayhawks continued on with a more pop feel for three more albums, fronted by founding member Gary Louris. When the band formed in 1985, they were opening for Alex Chilton in...

Today’s Cool Album Of the Day (#311 in the Series) is Genesis, Seconds Out. How much do I like this album? Well, if I could only take ten albums to a desert island, I might have to take two copies of this and then eight others. This was the album that made me fall in love with Genesis.  I don’t know why I didn’t get into them earlier. After this was released I did go back and loved all the Gabriel era works. For some reason I missed it when it was happening.  I remember seeing all those ads about them playing the Auditorium for three nights. I can kick myself now for not going. I guess I did...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#310 in the Series) is John Stewart, California Bloodlines By 1969 , John Stewart was 29 years old and had packed in a fair bit of living. He co-founded The Cumberland 3 , released three albums with them and moved on to become a member of  The Kingston Trio , releasing numerous discs and playing hundreds of live shows . Fast forward to 1968 and we find him recording an album with his wife Buffy Ford and , just for good measure , he also managed to write a little song you may have heard of , “Daydream Believer” , a smash hit for The Monkees in ’67. For most people that would be...