Thursday, December 31, 2020

Celebrate

 I did manage to see at least one film a week during this God-awful year. Most of them were thanks to the good people of TCM. The last film I saw in a theater was 1917. Also watched a lot of television shows, new and old. Giri/Haji was outstanding. What We Do in the Shadows is terrific. Probably more of the same in 2021. I do not see myself in a theater for many many months. Have a safe and peaceful New Year's Eve, we earned it.

  1. Return of the Jedi
  2. The Late Show
  3. 1917
  4. The Magnificent Seven
  5. Beach Party (1963)
  6. Jo Jo Rabbit
  7. Uncorked
  8. Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
  9. Stop Making Sense
  10. Network
  11. The Wizard of Oz
  12. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  13. Splendor in the Gras
  14. The General (1926)
  15. Purple Rose of Cairo
  16. The Hollies: Look Through Any Window
  17. A Streetcar Named Desire
  18. Rebel Without A Cause
  19. A Hard Days Night
  20. Don’t Look Back
  21. With Byrd at the South Pole
  22. Palm Springs
  23. The One Man Beatles
  24. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
  25. NotFilm
  26. Mitchell (1975)
  27. Bedazzled (1967)
  28. Lady and the Tramp
  29. Black Panther
  30. Sour Grapes (2016)
  31. The T.A.M.I. Show
  32. Jimi Hendrix (1973)
  33. The Great Buster - A Celebration
  34. Sherlock Jr.
  35. The Trial of the Chicago 7
  36. A Fine Madness
  37. A Hard Days Night
  38. Bananas
  39. Rocky Horror Picture Show
  40. The Booksellers
  41. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  42. One Million Dubliners
  43. A Christmas Carol (1938)
  44. Mangrove
  45. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  46. Christmas in Connecticut
  47. Soul
  48. Llamageddon
  49. A Chump At Oxford
  50. Vinyl (2000)

Thursday, December 24, 2020

It's been three months

Still here. Still alive and COVID-Free. Still maintaining amid death, batshit crazy and being in place. My father in law died earlier this month of a non-COVID condition and that's taken a lot of good emotions away from us. 

I was referred for cataract surgery in September, had the surgeries in November and that has changed my life significantly. Now I can see distance but need readers for up close. It's been a profound adjustment. 

Still buying music, listening to it when I can. It's hard to focus and my guitar playing time has suffered.

Here's the list of what I bought this year. The stars mean I really liked it. My two faves are Bob Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways and Emma Swift's Blonde on the Tracks. It's been a Bob year. 

Have not bought much vinyl due to COVID, but my recent nothing else to do but buy shit during COVID phase brought me some wonderful Japanese pressings, and the Dave Clark Five record is a revelation of rock and roll energy.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas, and I'll probably post a movies I watched entry next week. Be safe. 

  1. Bobby Rush - Sittin’ on Top of the Blues
  2. Rough Guide to World Guitar Music
  3. Algiers - There is No Year
  4. Bill Fay - Countless Branches
  5. Basic Plumbing - Keeping Up Appearances *
  6. Ben Watt - Storm Damage
  7. Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again *
  8. Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand the Rain
  9. Guided By Voices - Surrender Your Poppy Field
  10. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play the Blues
  11. Nadia Reid - Out of My Province
  12. Maria McKee - La Vita Nuova
  13. Lily Hiatt - Walking Proof *
  14. John Prine
  15. John Prine - The Missing Years
  16. Dan Berggren in Concert (CD)
  17. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
  18. The Jam - The Gift (LP)
  19. The Amazing Nina Simone (LP)
  20. Lucinda Williams - Good Souls, Better Angels
  21. Ric Napoli
  22. Ric Napoli - The Atlanta Sessions
  23. Fela Kuti - Expensive Shit
  24. Tony Allen - NEPA
  25. COVAID-614
  26. Cherry Chrome - Place of Love *
  27. Nick Tolford & Company - Lost My Mind
  28. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions
  29. Badly Drawn Boy - Banana Skin Shoes
  30. Nicole Atkins - Italian Ice (LP) *
  31. Sondre Lerche -Patience
  32. The Explorer’s Club
  33. The Explorer’s Club - To Sing and Be Born Again
  34. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways *
  35. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
  36. Eccentric Soul - The CapSoul Label (Vinyl)
  37. The Jayhawks - Xoxo
  38. Freddie King - Let’s Hide Away and Dance Away
  39. Pretenders - Hate For Sale
  40. Gillian Welch - Boots No. 2. The Lost Songs Vol. 1
  41. Robyn Hitchcock - The Man Upstairs: Demos and Rarities
  42. Davey Horne
  43. Emma Swift - Blonde on the Tracks (download and LP) *
  44. Bebel Gilberto - Agora
  45. Feargal Sharkey
  46. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blue 
  47.  The Who - Odds & Sods (RDS vinyl)
  48.  Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (Vinyl)
  49. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Henry’s Dream
  50. P.J. Harvey - To Bring You My Live (demos)
  51. Toots & the Maytalls - Best of
  52. Lydia Loveless - Daughter
  53. Denise Johnson - Where Does It Go *
  54. Jeffrey David DiCicca - The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures
  55. Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler - In Memory of My Feelings *
  56. Betty Davis - They Say I’m Different
  57. Tom Petty - Wildflowers & the Rest (3LP & download)
  58. Bruce Springsteen - Letter To You
  59. Busta Rhymes - Extinction Level Event Two: The Wrath of God *
  60. The Dirty Knobs - Wreckless Abandon
  61. Deep Sea Diver - Impossible Weight
  62. Straight Scared: A Columbus Tribute to New Bomb Turks
  63.  Jill Lorean - Not Your First
  64. Belle and Sebastian - What To Look For In Summer (2-LP)

 Used Vinyl

  1. Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now
  2. XTC - Skylarking
  3. The Marachi Brass featuring Chet Baker - Double Shot
  4. Beatles For Sale (Japanese pressing)
  5. Rabbit - Broken Arrows
  6. Beatles - Abbey Road (Japanese pressing)
  7. Beatles - Help! (Japanese pressing)
  8. Issac Hayes - For the Sake of Love
  9. Dave Clark Five - 16 Greatest Hits (Japanese pressing)