MetroPulse Stories: Thrift-Store Finds by Anthony Nownes

Vanilla Fudge: 'Vanilla Fudge' (1967)

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:00:00 -0000

So how does this idea sound: Let’s take bona fide pop-rock classics such as “Ticket to Ride,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” and “She’s Not There,” and play them at half-speed. This will make the songs longer, weirder, and more suitable for psychedelic jamming. Are you intrigued?

Cheap Trick: 'Heaven Tonight' (1978)

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:02:00 -0000

Cheap Trick is one of America’s greatest bands. They are criminally underappreciated. As proof, consider that Cheap Trick can’t sniff the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, even though it has inducted the likes of Donovan, Jackson Browne, and the Lovin’ Spoonful. That’s right, the Lovin’ Spoonful!

The Zombies: 'Odessey and Oracle' (1968)

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:07:00 -0000

Odessey and Oracle (the lads couldn’t spell) is one of my best ever thrift-store finds. In summary, it is a blockbuster.

Ambrosia: 'Life Beyond L.A.' (1978)

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:56:00 -0000

I’ve written previously about my affection for soft rock. To date, I have exactly zero converts to my basic view of soft rock, which is nothing more complicated than that it sometimes is enjoyable to listen to.

American Flyer: 'Spirit of a Woman' (1977)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:14:00 -0000

Music trivia is like a great Pacific Ocean garbage island in my brain—it takes up a lot of space, has a half-life of 5,000 years, and will never allow anything else to sprout up in its place. Yet sometimes the knowledge pays off.

The Bee Gees: 'Saturday Night Fever' (1977)

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:16:00 -0000

Has any group in history as undeniably talented band as the Bee Gees been subject to as much derision as they have?

Neil Young's 'Time Fades Away' (1973)

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:39:00 -0000

Every time one is tempted to dismiss Neil Young as irrelevant, he roars back with a Harvest Moon or a Prairie Wind.

MC5: 'High Time' (1971)

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:01:00 -0000

When I found the album I thought to myself, “What kind of jackass would stuff this classic album in the Goodwill bin?” Upon reflection, however, I realized that I was the one engaging in jackassery.

Ram Jam: 'Ram Jam' (1977)

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:22:00 -0000

One way to avoid the pitfalls of enduring rock stardom is to not endure. The ephemeral Ram Jam—comprising a group of guys who were thrown together by record executives and thus hardly merit the moniker “band”—preserved its place in rock history by exploding like a volcano and then going away.

Spirit: '12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus' (1970)

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:16:00 -0000

So why do I keep buying records? Because I listen to them and I enjoy having them around. Sometimes the latter is more important than the former.

Marcus Joseph: 'Things I Meant to Say'

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:15:00 -0000

“Soft rock” is much maligned, viewed by the intelligentsia as fluff cynically foisted on the listening public while America burned. I have a much more positive view; as an unpretentious reaction to a nihilistic politics, a brutal and confounding war, and shocking levels of civil violence, music about falling in love, taking care of your own, and figuring out how to take it easy makes a lot of sense. Marcus Joseph’s Things I Meant to Say fits nicely in the soft-rock canon.

Hilly Michaels: 'Calling All Girls' (1980)

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:45:00 -0000

Rock ’n’ roll has never been particularly silly, and grunge made things worse. Hilly Michaels, whose 1980 album Calling All Girls I found at the Broadway Salvation Army, is the anti-Cobain. The album cover shows Michaels relaxing in a lounge chair and speaking on a pink telephone.

Elliot Easton: 'Change No Change' (1985)

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:59:00 -0000

Can sidemen make good records when they strike out on their own? The question returned to the front of my mind when I found Elliot Easton’s sole solo album, 1985’s Change No Change, earlier this summer.

The Kings: 'The Kings are Here' (1980)

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:31:00 -0000

Canada’s the Kings wrote one transcendent power-pop song. It’s called “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide,” (the “/” is there because it’s actually two songs on the LP), and it’s on the album The Kings are Here.

Focus: 'Moving Waves'

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:00:00 -0000

What is Focus? The album is called Moving Waves. On the cover beneath some (still?) water are four long-haired hippie dudes in a cloud, named Cyriel, Jan, Thijs, and Pierre. Side 2 consists of one 23-minute song. It becomes clear—Focus plays progressive rock.

Henry Gross: 'Plug Me Into Something' (1975)

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:36:00 -0000

While you’re listening to Jimi Hendrix or the Beatles or the Beach Boys, it’s easy to forget that the 1960s and 1970s also urped up some truly execrable performers. So when I find an album by someone I’ve never heard of I wonder: Is this guy unknown because he’s terrible? Or is he overlooked and under-appreciated? In this case, the guy is Henry Gross.