Big Al

Yippeeee!!! I can't wait to get that Bennie Green set!

pryan, no problem! Any suggestion is worth looking into. I gotta check out Little Me. That looks hilarious. Hey Dan, did you read No Way to Treat a First Lady? That was just as good as, if not better than, Thank You for Smoking. Even has one of Smoking's main characters in it!

Thanks, gang. This will be a handy list for the next trip to the library! Keep the suggestions coming!

A cursory browse through Barnes & Noble reveals only about three kinds of books these days: 1. "History" books about wars and/or lawyers and/or politicians 2. Self-help books about everything, basically repeating the same thing as last year's self-help books (from people who've been in wars and/or lawyers and/or politicians) 3. Romance novels about wars and/or lawyers and/or politicians Is there no such thing as a genuinely FUNNY novel anymore? Is the art of humor in fiction a dead one? Is Christopher Buckley the only one putting out thoughtful yet hilarious writings anymore? Could any of you better-read folks give me any help in this department? I need a good laugh, and I don't mean a political one.

I was so tickled to see all these Chicks CD-smashing parties. Until I found out it was because of something that lead Chick/airhead said. I couldn’t stand the Chicks before this whole “controversy” started. This little statement has garnered them more publicity than anything else they’ve ever done. And people are surprised they’re not shying away from all the attention? Hard to believe country music fans wonder why they are mocked!

ET CETERA! Nice to see that one in the running.

OH BABY, these polls have been a blast!

FURTHER EXPLORATIONS, just because it lives up to it's title!

Wow! Who else voted for HOOTIN' AND TOOTIN'? It's a shame Fred Jackson didn't bless us with more greeeeaze! He fit in with the Patton/Green/Dixon trio like a pork chop in a deep fryer!

Voted for TRUE BLUE wishing that JUDGEMENT was in one of the other polls. Like THAT would make life any easier!

DOWN HOME STYLE by many miles! Even the cover is greeeazy enough to give ya a heart attack! Now, if BLUE MODE had been on there instead of LOVE BUG, I'd still be trying to decide. Plus, I've never heard BOOGALOO, but I gotta figure it's good & greeeazy simply because it's BIG John! Great poll!!!

FAVES: 1. True Blue - I like this even better than Open Sesame, and OS is my favorite Freddie Hubbard album! 2. Judgement - My favorite Andrew Hill album anyway! 3. Hootin' and Tootin' (Fred Jackson) - Greeeeeeaze out the wazoo! Even more so cuz it's packed with a second session, just as greeeazy! 4. Et Cetera - beautiful album with especially fantastic bass playing by Cecil McBee. 5. Solid - lives up to its title! NON-FAVES: 1. Out of the Blue 2. Some Other Stuff (yes, I know it's a classic; still does nothing for me) 3. Jutta Hipp w/Zoot Sims (zzzzzzzzzz) 4. Blowin' in from Chicago 5. My Conception Great thread, BTW! :rsmile:

Absolutely!!! And he's been doing it throughout his career. From "My Funny Valentine" back in '79 to Painted From Memory recently, not to mention "Almost Blue" and "Shipbuilding" in between, Costello has shown an uncanny knack for being able to meld his voice to his muse. Don't get me wrong, Blood & Chocolate is a fantastic album; side one by itself is as angry, dark, and powerful as any of his first four albums. Side two kinda falls apart after a while (although I must confess to not listening to side two NEARLY as much as side one), in addition to breaking a long-standing rule I've always felt performers should adhere to: no spouses on a performer's record!!!

Thanks to Johnny E (who sold me a copy) and everyone else who helped me look. Glad I was able to snag one before it became TOO difficult to find!

Still, I'd rather have Krall singing backup on a Costello record than O'Riordan. Her backups on Blood and Chocolate killed an otherwise ferocious album.

I'm glad Ole won as well. Trane's Atlantic period is my favorite of his career, and while this particular album isn't my VERY favorite of the bunch (Coltrane's Sound gets my nod), this is still a beautiful album and I can't wait for this discussion to start!

Great choice indeed! Unfortunately, finances are dictating that I sit this one out and simply read and enjoy (assuming I don't run into a used copy between now and Sunday!) Looking forward to reading about this one, though!

I tell ya, any one of these gets picked and I'll get it! They all look fantastic (the three that I don't already have, that is!)

Yup! In fact, I retract what I said earlier about not wanting any other WR albums. I'm with you, Joe, about wanting to check out the other albums mentioned in the notes for Black Market. Jim's comments were even more of a nudge to check 'em out as well. And I have to agree with whoever said they preferred Alphonso Johnson's work better than Jaco's on this album. Count me in the minority of folks who think that Jaco is way overrated. Sure he can play the hell out of the bass, but who is he serving when he plays? When Johnson plays, he sounds as if he's part of the band, making his acrobatics work within the framework of the song without overwhelming it. Jaco, OTOH, does just the opposite. Johnsons playing never loses the funk, while Jaco has a tendency to succumb to the temptation to go overboard with the fretboard fireworks, leaving the rest of the band (not to mention the song) behind. A lot of people dig that; I 'm one of the few who don't.

I voted for OLE, simply because it's the only one in the list I already have; but having the Sonny or the Ornette would be fun also!

Wellllll....... I just don't know!!! Really, I've listened to this album at least ten times by now, read this thread a few times (and really, this has been one of the best AotW threads; all the posts (and Sangrey's in particular) have been particularly enlightening), checked out that link (which was also very helpful, BTW); I've listened to this album in a variety of settings: once in the kitchen while making dinner (and really got down with the groove of "Black Market"); once while falling asleep; all day at work on Monday; today in the car at lunch (not driving, just parked under a tree on Division Street, waiting for a train to go by). Every listening experience has been different: at one point, I really got into the beat. Another time, the synthesizers were just too overbearing. Another time, I started hearing subtle nuances that I'd missed in previous listenings. (Hence the reason it's taken so long to post: every time I think I've got a post completed, I listen to it again and think, "Drat! Gotta re-write it AGAIN!!!" In fact, I'll probably change my mind again after I post THIS!!!) All this to say, it's hard to judge an album that sounds brand new and different every time I put it on. And I guess I really can't think of a better compliment for it than that! I did want to comment on something the great Sangrey said, about "you had to be there:" Having grown up in the over-synthesized 80's, hearing a record full of them is akin to putting on a Genesis record (not that that's a bad thing: at least Collins & Co. had the good sense to hire Chester Thompson to be their road drummer, and anyone who's heard Seconds Out knows the powerful funk he brings to an otherwise above-average art rock band, IMHO). Hearing this record for the first time in 2003, it really is hard to imagine what this sounded like when it first came out in the 70s. I mean, it sounds like it could've come out yesterday, and even after 20+ years, still sounds fresher than a lot of the music coming out today. Having said that, though, this will probably be the only WR record I ever get. I've heard Heavy Weather before, and to me, there's something very mechanical about that record, like the communication between virtuosos broke down somewhere. I could be wrong, though (I don't spend too much time trying to figure out why I don't like a particular album), and maybe it'll hit me later. But the lineup on Black Market, which seems to have only lasted for this one album, is the one that does it for me! Whew! I'll bet that was longer than Sangrey's! (Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as profound!)

Got my copy yesterday, and man oh man, tomorrow can't come soon enough!!! This was a wonderful surprise!

I like what Rooster Ties is doing here: putting out a list of potential nominees, and letting everyone vote on what they'd like to discuss. If I ever get nominated, this is the approach I'm gonna use. Great idea, Rooster Ties. (And yes, I'll likely participate if the McLean gets chosen. I mean, I did hear it once. Once. )

I love it when cheap-0 discs are nominated! This oughta be fun!

I voted for the Hancock, simply because it's the only one I have, but I'd be willing to get either Hill or Booker. I had the McLean and didn't care for it, so if that album gets the nod, I'll follow that thread with great interest (see if there's something I missed the first time around; wouldn't be the first time).