In which we spin a few vinyls

Music (Audit Queue Division): A few of the latest things crashing around my brain have been suggested from listening to 500 Songs.So blame Andrew Hickey, not me. 

There is a series of potpourri albums called Piccadilly Sunshine, subtitled British Pop Psych And Other Flavours, which I intend to comb through for hidden gems. From Volume #Whatever I pulled a song by a group called Lomax Alliance, which was then followed by Jackie Lomax’s solo effort, “Is This What You Want?” The album is loaded with big name performers, and includes producer George Harrison’s “Sour Milk Sea,” Lomax's biggest hit. Lomax has a distinctive voice, and this album has a distinctly Apple Records 1968 sound to it. Some good stuff overall. Lomax was never big in the US, so this stuff is mostly new to me.

Next up, Paul Jones, former singer of the classic “Do Wah Diddy Diddy.” After leaving Manfred Mann he cut this solo album, “My Way.” Very British Invasion, but a little too orchestrated for my taste. Still, interesting enough to stick with him. We’ll see where he goes next.  

To say that Ella Fitzgerald is one of my favorite artists of all time is to say my favorite thing to breathe is air. I owned a gazillion of her albums in my old CD collection, from big bands to jazz festivals to the songbooks to the smoky saloon singing of her later years with Joe Pass. The collaborations with Louis have made it into my GOAT collection which is otherwise 99% rock, because this music is wonderful, any time, anywhere, "beyond category" as Duke Ellington would say. The album “By Popular Request” was never one of my CDs. It’s a collection of covers of rock songs. The best that can be said about it is that one or two of the songs don’t make you wish she hadn’t tried to do this. The worst that can be said about it is that all the rest of the songs make you wish she hadn’t tried to do this. 

While I enjoyed her on the revived Muppet Show, I did not enjoy Sabrina Carpenter’s album “Man’s Best Friend.” She is not performing music for me. May she live long and prosper.

Finally, for now, Badfinger’s “Airwaves.” And we’re back again with that Apple sound but now it’s 1979 and the Beatles broke up roughly ten years ago and music has moved on. Okay stuff from a group that always did okay stuff and occasionally pulled off a good one. A reasonable enough listen.