Rarebird's Rock and Roll Nest

For a truly unique specimen in the art of vinyl record pressing, track down a vinyl copy of Lee Ranaldo’s 1987 solo debut album From Here To Infinity . Ranaldo is best known as co-guitarist of the long-running experimental noise-punk band Sonic Youth. He has released a number of solo albums over the years; his latest, Between The Times And The Tides , will be released March 20, 2012. His first solo release, From Here To Infinity , was released in 1987, when Ranaldo’s usual band were hitting their stride as one of the seminal bands of the indie rock underground. Ranaldo's album was as unconventional as anything ever released by Sonic Youth, in its physical presentation as well as its sound. Cut by famed recording engineer George “Porky” Peckham, the vinyl LP is fascinating to merely look at. It was pressed in clear vinyl and marble-colored vinyl editions, but even in the typical black color, it is like no other vinyl record you’ve ever seen. The tracks are very short – almost all of...

I’ve recently added one review each to the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers pages. The two albums are both 2-CD live albums which are well worth obtaining for fans of those bands, but are both apparently becoming difficult to obtain. The Byrds-related album is titled 3 Byrds Land In London 1977 . It was released in 1997 on the U.K. label Strange Fruit. The performances mostly come from solo sets at the Hammersmith Odeon by three original members of the Byrds: Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and Gene Clark. Most of the work that resulted from that trio’s late-‘70’s reconnection has a less-than-shining reputation – and for good reason – but this album (which is now out of print) offers plenty for Byrds devotees to enjoy. The review appears on the bottom half of the Byrds page: http://rarebird9.net/byrds.html The Flying Burrito Brothers double-CD is a long-overdue document of two live San Francisco shows from 1969, performed by the original Gram Parsons-led lineup. (As anyone who has ever ...