Dave Mason - new title page album (a DLA no less, above), Certified Live...

Totally forgot how awesome this DLA is.  More than that - it might have one of the all-time best album sides from ANY DLA, ever.  It is Side One.  Dave Mason comes out of the gate on this DLA - guns blazing with Feelin' Alright, Pearly Queen, Show me Some Affection, and All Along the Watchtower.  Some could say and have said that Dave's version of AATW is the greatest take ever on that great song.   And it's been done by many.  No argument here.  Dave Mason, as the years go by, continues to rise in my all-time lists.

Ray Charles - The Spirit of Christmas - and to all a good night...

Ray Charles - The Spirit of Christmas.

Argent - they Helds Their Heads High

Argent - In Deep.  Argent is an English band, I really thought they were American.  Also did not know Rod Argent was in The Zombies.  Their hit was the somewhat droning Hold Your Head Up.  But this record we show today is called In Deep, it was released in 1973 and it features the original full length recording of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", which reached No.18 in the UK charts (U.S. #114).  When released as a single in edited form later the same year, before being remade by Kiss as "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" for the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey in 1991, when it was a massive worldwide hit.  The original Argent lineup reunited at the High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London in July 2010, and undertook a short five-date concert tour in December 2010, with gigs in Frome, Southampton, Wolverhampton, Leamington Spa and London.  Speaking of Wolverhampton - I will be at the Arsenal match at Emirates Stadium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCftkwQwy5Q&feature=related

Charlie Rich - on Sun Records. Sun's Best of Charlie Rich

The Great Charlie Rich - on Sun Records.  It's not on this record - but I really dig his song - Behind Closed Doors.  But this my only LP record in my collection on Sun Records.  I don't usually like to post here about Best of or Greatest Hits albums - but I find myself breaking that rule pretty often.  So maybe I will just permanently rescind it.  OK - done: new rule in effect.

     Also - it was worth it to look this up on wiki:  "Rich was a session musician for Judd Records, owned by Judd Phillips, the brother of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. After recording some demos for Sam Phillips at Sun Records that Phillips didn't find commercial enough, and too jazzy, legend has it that he was given a stack of Jerry Lee Lewis records and told: "come back when you get that bad."  In 1958, Rich became a regular session musician for Sun Records playing on records by Lewis, Johnny Cash, Bill Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley, Carl Mann, and Ray Smith.  He also wrote songs for Lewis, Cash, and others.  His third single for the Sun subsidiary, Phillips International Records, was the 1960 Top 30 hit, "Lonely Weekends," noted for its Presley-like vocals. None of his seven follow-up singles was a success, though several of the songs became staples in his live set, including "Who Will the Next Fool Be," "Sittin' and Thinkin'," and "No Headstone on My Grave." These songs were often recorded by others to varying degrees of success, such as the Bobby Bland version of "Who Will the Next Fool Be."  Rich's career stalled, and he left the struggling Sun label in 1963, signing with a subsidiary of RCA Records, Groove.  His first single for Groove, "Big Boss Man," was a minor hit, but again his Chet Atkins-produced follow-ups all stiffed.  Rich moved to Smash Records early in 1965.  Rich's new producer, Jerry Kennedy, encouraged the pianist to emphasize his country and rock & roll leanings, although Rich considered himself a jazz pianist and had not paid much attention to country music since his childhood.  The first single for Smash was "Mohair Sam," an R&B-inflected novelty-rock number, and it became a Top 30 pop hit.  Unfortunately again for Rich, none of his follow-up singles were successful.  Rich was forced to change labels, moving over to Hi Records, where he recorded blue-eyed soul music and straight country, but none of his singles made a dent on the country or pop charts. One Hi Records track Love Is After Me from 1966 belatedly became a Northern Soul favorite in the early 1970s.

Beach Boys Christmas; We'd Like to Wish You a Very Merry Christmas

The Beach Boys...I have to admit, Carl Wilson was the best of them.  Brian - of course is and was the songwriting genius, Dennis the true rock and roller.  But when I listen to the old clips of Carl singing lead vocals on songs like I Can Hear Music.  Goose bumps.  But here is their most famous Christmas song - Little Saint Nick.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSynDh_K0EE

Black Sabbath - the birth of heavy metal

This is their eponymous debut album.  I really have no business commenting and on Black Sabbath here on this little hobby blog.  I just don't know enough to add anything here.  They are revered as rock legends.  And most experts count this group among the forefathers of heavy metal.  But this is an awesome album cover.  This record also represents this rare triple play:  The band's name, their debut album, and first song on their first record all have the same name.  There is only one other band that I know of that can also say that.  The song here I really like is called The Wizard.  And according to wiki, this - their eponymous debut album:  "Black Sabbath is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath.  Released in 13 February 1970 in the UK, and in June 1970 in the US, this album reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart and has been recognized as the first album to be credited with the development of the heavy metal genre."  It was recorded at the famed Trident Studios, which is my second favorite recording studio in England, after Olympic.  In March 1968 Manfred Mann recorded Trident's very first number one at the studio, the single "My Name's Jack", launching Trident as a top professional studio.  During the early 70s, some of the most reputed artists used the studios for their recordings, including Black Sabbath, Elton John, Marc Bolan/T.Rex, Carly Simon, Frank Zappa, The Rolling Stones,Free, The Plastic Ono Band, Lindisfarne , Dusty Springfield, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Krisma, Jeff Beck/Rod Stewart and Joan Armatrading, (with Pam Nestor).