Soul Jazz rock my world, funny band names, Willard Grant Conspiracy, and depression takes a punch to the jaw!

I am listening to Soul Jazz's "New Thing!" 1970-1985 (2004) and I am completely digging it! The Soul Jazz collections I've heard have all been great. Here's the Soul Jazz web site. This is a great way to discover even M O R E amazing music!!

My fav SoulJazz collections so far: [no particular order]

1. New Orleans Funk 1960-1975
2. Saturday Night Fish Fry 1960-1975
3. New York Noise 1978-1982
4. Philadelphia Roots 1965-1973
5. The Sexual Life of Savages: Post-Punk from Sao Paulo, Brazil 1982-1988
6. Chicago Soul 1963-1969

I have to check out some Alice Coltrane!!!
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Check out these band names: Haystacks Balboa...Mother Tucker's Yellow Duck...Juicy Lucy...Ozric Tentacles...Tucky Buzzard

Some of my recent acquisitions from my friend's music store.

Haystacks Balboa: Haystacks Balboa. This band name cracks me up. Obviously some combination of Haystacks Calhoun and Rocky Balboa...wrong!!! This came out in 1970 and features Leslie West's younger brother Larry West and was produced by Shadow Morton. So, who knows where the Balboa name came from. It's in my listening pile, but sounds like it won't be too far from his older brother's band Mountain. That's a fine thing.

Mother Tucker's Yellow Duck: Home Grown Stuff (1969) Canadian psychedelia!!! This features Don MacDougall who later joined The Guess Who (and wrote one of my fav Guess Who songs: "Samantha's Living Room" from Artificial Paradise (1973). This one has definitely dated, but who cares? It's a fun listen.

Juicy Lucy: Get a Whiff of This (1971) They cover Spirit's "Mr. Skin" and they rock along pretty good. Ridiculous cover.

Ozric Tentacles: Erpsongs (1984) I was quite surprised by this. I've only had a chance to listen to it once, and it sounded great! Definitely a space-rock influence. That's a great thing! Gotta look into these guys more. Ozric Tentacles web site.

Tucky Buzzard: Allright in the Night (1973) Produced by Bill Wyman when he was in the world's most over-rated rock band ever. Listened to some of it and it sounds like your basic early 70s hard rock. Nothing wrong with that.

M O R E weird fucked-up
band names
yet to be discovered...and when the name is actually a reflection of the music...
gotta love the motherfuckers!
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Willard Grant Conspiracy are definitely a band worth checking out. I love the sound of their new album, Let It Roll (2006) and their version of "Ballad of a Thin Man" is one of my fav Dylan covers ever. Great great great music!!!

Willard Grant Conspiracy's official web site.
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I'm listening to Andromeda: Andromeda (1969) and I'm really enjoying picking up these obscure psychedelic rock kind of albums. This one features John Du Cann who later joined Atomic Rooster...another band I've been exploring.

so much so many
bands and music
to listen hear absorb
probe fondle explore
research and most
importantly...

fucking ENJOY.
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Personally, as I mentioned in my last blog, I sunk back into my depression. It's hard to describe how shitty you feel. It's NOT a "yeh, I'm a little down today. We all get a little down," kind of depression, but it's a motherfucker that gets right into you physically so that you actually feel immobile. Everything seems numb and dumb and wrong...and it doesn't last for a day...it's been a fucking month. BUT. This is the 2nd day I'm feeling a bit better, so if I WORK at it, maybe I'll fight it back.

This has nothing to do with music...I just want to give a shout out to anyone suffering from this bastard disease, and to send positive thoughts your way. Here's a stupid link that may make you smile. Lawrence Welk meets The Velvet Underground.
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