Cameo —
Feel Me ... LP Chocolate City, 1980. Very Good+ ...
$6.99
A great 80s groove from Cameo – but one that's still done in the group's best early funk ensemble mode! There's maybe a bit more emphasis on the basslines and keyboards than before, but the sound of the music is still wonderfully full and spontaneous – very much in keeping with the warmly collaborative look of the group on the cover, who really sound like they're having a hell of a lot of fun making the record! The rhythms have a razor-sharpness that just about nobody else can touch – and there's all these cool little instrumental flourishes that sneak into the mix and really keep things interesting – odd sounds on familiar instruments, moogy moments on keyboards, and even some vocal inflections that come as a nice surprise. There's two nice mellow cuts – "Feel Me" and "Is This The Way", which have a sweetly compressed harmony sound on the lyrics – and funky numbers include "Better Days", "Keep It Hot", "Roller Skates", and "Is This The Way". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light wear and a trace of a sticker.)
505
Cameo —
She's Strange ... LP Atlanta Artists/Polygram, 1984. Very Good+ ...
Just Sold Out!
An indisputable classic from Cameo – one that has them changing up their sound from earlier albums! The heavier funk of some of their late 70s sides is long gone, and in its place is a more stripped-down style that relies more on electric percussion and keyboards to update their sound. The best cuts on the set have that mellow crossover feel that Kool & The Gang were using at the time – smoother, slinkier soul that played well with larger audiences, yet still had a nice degree of soul. Titles include "She's Strange", "Love You Anyway", "Groove With You", "Hangin Downtown", and "Le Ve Toi". LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light wear.)
506
Eddie C Campbell —
King Of The Jungle ... LP Mr Blues/P-Vine (Japan), 1977. New Copy (reissue)...
Just Sold Out!
A raw cooker from the Chicago scene of the 70s – the best kind of gritty electric blues that was being recorded by the indie labels, even at a time when other bigger companies were trying to turn it into cliche! Eddie Campbell is great here – with raw vocals that captivate instantly, which are then followed by some really nice guitar solos too – lean, and with a quality that's both bold and fragile on the strings at the same time. The group also features a young Carey Bell on harmonica – getting plenty of solos in too – plus piano from Lafayette Leake and bass from Lurrie Bell, on titles that include "She's Nineteen Years Old", "Weary Blues", "Cheaper To Keep Her", "Smokin Potatoes", "King Of The Jungle", "We Both Must Cry", and "The Red Rooster". LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – with obi!)
507
Glen Campbell —
Galveston ... LP Capitol, 1969. Near Mint- ...
Just Sold Out!
One of Glen's last super-huge albums of the 60s – featuring the sublime Jimmy Webb-penned "Galveston", a track that must have been written for Glen's unique vocal style! The album also includes the hit "Where's The Playground, Susie?" – plus the tracks "Today", "If this Is Love", "Gotta Have Tenderness", "Time", and "Oh What A Woman". Darker than before – in a great way! LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy rainbow label stereo pressing. Cover has light wear.)
A landmark set of grooves by this excellent Detroit group – a trio who recorded for the local indie Karen, but got a much bigger boost towards fame when their record was picked up by Atlantic! The set's one of the killer 60s Motor Town sets produced by Ollie McLaughlin – and like the rest, it's got a really special edge – music that goes way past any simple 60s soul cliches, and which will make the set one of the real standouts in your collection. Arrangements are by Dale Warren, Riley Hampton, and Mike Terry – and titles include The Capitols' big hit "Cool Jerk", and also includes loads of other great tracks written by Donald Storball of the group – like "Dog & Cat", "Zig Zaggin", "The Kick", and others – plus versions of "Hello Stranger", "Love Makes The World Go Round", and "Good Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original tan and purple label stereo pressing – a nice copy! Cover has some light wear, but is nice too.)
Think what you want about Captain & Tennille – the set's a monumental bit of 70s pop, and one that found a way to push the 60s hipness of A&M Records to the next level! The set's got a mainstream polish, but it's the summation of all sorts of cool elements that had been bubbling under on the LA scene – not the least of which is the career of The Captain, aka Daryl Dragon – a guy with great experience in the studio, and a strong ear for a keyboard line too! The group tip their hat strongly to the Beach Boys – with a great reading of "Disney Girls", and a take of "God Only Knows" that's pretty darn nice too – next to the global hit "Love Will Keep Us Together", and other tunes that include "I Write The Songs", "Gentle Stranger", "Honey Come Love Me", and "The Good Songs". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original Japanese pressing – GP-244 – with obi, printed inner sleeve, and insert. Cover has light wear, some aging, and a smudge and some remnants from price sticker removal.)
Not everyone digs the later Captain and crew, but the early 80s efforts have finally gotten their just props after all these years – and we'll we'll come right out and say that this second to last album before Don Van Vliet hung up the music for painting has always sounded great to us! The Magic Band is incredible as always – with Jeff Morris Tepper, Drumbo French and Eric Drew Feldman's antics under the Captain's idiosyncratic vocalese. With "Hot Head", "Ashtray Heart", "A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond", "Run Paint Run Run", "Sue Egypt", "Brickbats", "Dirty Blue Gene", "Best Batch Yet", "Telephone", "Flavor Bud Living", "Sherriff Of Hong Kong" and "Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey On My Knee". LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has some surface wear, yellowing from age, and is lightly bent at the edges.)
An early 70s gem from Captain Beefheart – not as wild-eyed and whacked out as the late 60s glories – but still a good stretch weirder than most of the post psych, blues-steeped rock of the time! Ultimately, it's still Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, despite it being billed solely to Captain Beefheart on the cover (and his only album NOT co-billed with The Magic Band) – and we'd say it's their first album to go for a consistent mood from beginning-to-end, and we love it for that! If the Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off Baby records are the more feral early twin masterpieces – we'd say this one and Clear Spot are the wiser and more focused siblings, but no less classic! Tracks include "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby","Grow Fins", "There Ain't No Santa Clause On The Evenin' Stage", "Blabbern Smoke", "Alice In Blunderland", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Glider". LP, Vinyl record album
(Tan label stereo pressing, with Artisan etch. NOTE – Cover has staining and heavy wear on 3 corners with peeled spots, ring wear, top seam splitting – but the vinyl is nice!)
A set that's maybe a bit more standard song-based than some of the Captain's other records, but an album that's still filled with all the special magic that makes Beefheart so great! The magic band includes work from Zoot Horn Rollo on some wonderful glass finger guitar, plus keyboards from Mark Marcellino, bass from Rockett Morton, and plenty of vocals and harmonica from the Captain. Titles include "Upon The My-O-My", "Sugar Bowl", "New Electric Ride", "Magic Be", "Full Moon, Hot Sun" and "This Is The Day". LP, Vinyl record album
A legendary funk set from late 70s Chicago – served up by our own Captain Sky, aka Daryl Cameron – an imposing figure who often worked in the same space-themed territory as the P-Funk empire in the mid 70s! The difference here, though, is that Cameron wrote, produced, and put the whole thing together himself – with help from a few friends in the studio – making the album a great homegrown attempt to rival the strength of the bigger funk ensembles of the period – something The Captain and crew do pretty darn well throughout! There's lots of heavy bass on the set – a strong precursor of modes to come – mixed with riffing guitar, sweet keyboards, and plenty of tight rhythms – on cuts that include the famous sample cut "Super Sporm" – a killer extended track with a great conga break, and a tight old school sample sound – plus "Now That I Have You", "Saturday Night Move-Ease", "Wonder Worm" and "Can't Stop Now". LP, Vinyl record album
Good compilation of gold discs by this Brazilian diva. Includes a number of her earlier bossa sides, some of which were recorded with the Zimbo Trio and Jacob do Bandolim. Cuts inlcude "Tempo Feliz", "Luz Negra", "Minhas Madrugadas", and "Pela Rua" LP, Vinyl record album
(Late 70s issue. Cover has light ringwear, edge wear, small sticker spot, and is bent at the edges and corners.)
Brazilian diva Elizeth Cardoso lays down a number of tracks recorded either with the Zimbo Trio, or with Jacob Do Bandolim. The Zimbo tracks have a nice bossa feel, and the titles include "Cidade Vazia", "Abertura", "E Louxo So", "Tem Do", and "Derradeira Primavera". The cuts with Jacob Do Bandolim are a little more samba oriented, but have a nice groove. Those cuts include "Barracao", "Jamais", and "Mulata Assanhada". LP, Vinyl record album
(Later Brazilian pressing – MIS-11906. Cover has some surface wear and aging, unglued bottom seam, lightly bent panels, tiny fray at the opening, and a bit of pen and a small sticker in back.)
Benny Carter meets Oscar Peterson – two older giants from the Verve jazz scene of the 50s, recording here in loose quintet format three decades later! The album's got a format that's similar to some of the easy-flowing Verve dates from years back – no surprise, given that Norman Granz produced the set – and there's plenty of room for Carter's amazing tone on the alto to stretch out over mellow rhythms from Joe Pass on guitar, Dave Young on bass, and Martin Drew on drums. Titles include "Sweet Lorraine", "Just Friends", "Whispering", "Some Kind Of Blues", and "Baubles Bangles & Beads". LP, Vinyl record album