Freddy Fender: Rock 'n' Country (1976)

ABC Records DOSD-2050

According to wikipedia, "Rock 'n' Country" reached #3 on the US Country chart, with three hit singles: "You'll Lose a Good Thing," "Vaya con Dios," and "The Rains Came," all of which appear on the CD The Millennium Collection: Best Of Freddy Fender. The rest of this LP, however, is not on CD. Eugene Chadbourne, at allmusic.com, wrote of this LP, "It all works, as do the many touches courtesy of legendary producer Huey P. Meaux."

This was a thrift shop find (99¢), in good shape, though it's a "loud" record, and the vocals are high in the mix and sound distorted on a few songs, presumably due to a mistracking cartridge from a previous owner.

Take Her a Message! I'm Lonely

Just Out of Reach

My Happiness

Brailowsky: Chopin: The 24 Preludes

Columbia ML 5444
This was the first classical LP I ever owned. I found it in the trunk of a Volvo I was repairing for a friend. I played it so much that I eventually had to buy another copy, which I sold in my record purge of 2005. This copy was a thrift shop find (99¢), in good condition.

Alexander Brailowsky seems to have fallen out of favor, judging by what recordings are being released on CD. His recording of Chopin's Polonaises is still very well regarded and available on CD. Some of his Chopin recordings appear on various Chopin "greatest hits" CDs. An early recording he made of the Preludes is available as an mp3 download. This recording is not on CD.

I'm not qualified to judge the merits of his playing, and critical opinions vary. Billboard wrote of this album in 1960 "Brailowsky's striking technique and particular flair for Chopin's works are brilliantly highlighted on the 24 Preludes." Others were not as kind.

No. 4 in E minor

No. 7 in A major

No. 11 in B major

No. 20 in C minor

No. 24 in D minor

The Pennywhistlers: Folksongs of Eastern Europe (1967)

Nonesuch H-2007

The Pennywhistlers were an American singing group. They specialized in Eastern European choral music, sung primarily a cappella.

This was from a record store in Davis, California, very reasonably priced at $1.99. It is in fair condition, with scratches affecting some of the tracks. It is not on CD.

From the LP: "To hear Bulgarian, Serbian, or Russian music performed so well that one forgets that one is listening to a group of American girls is ample proof of their work's high value... - Theodore Bikel"

More Pennywhistlers here.

Zaspala e Fida (Bulgarian)

Shto Mi e Milo (Macedonian)

Pastevecké "Helokanie" (Czechoslovakian)

Tudora (Bulgarian)

Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?

Alberta Hunter: Remember My Name (1978)

Columbia JS 35553

Alberta Hunter was a renowned singer in the 1920's and 30's who left music to become a nurse but returned to performing in her eighties. There are numerous CD compilations of her early work, but only two CDs of her later work: Downhearted Blues, a live recording from 1981, and Amtrak Blues, a studio album from 1978.

This 1978 LP, which allmusic calls "her definitive late-period album," is not on CD. This was a thrift store find (99¢), in good but not great shape.

From allmusic: "Although the cover on this album makes it look as if this is a soundtrack album (the singer had written several songs for the film "Remember My Name"), this is actually an important studio set."

This album was released on CD February 12, 2013. The sample tracks have been removed.

The Guitar Artistry of Liona Boyd (1976)

London Records CS 7068

I wasn't familiar with Liona Boyd when I saw this LP at the thrift shop, nor am I qualified to judge the merits of her playing, but this LP, her second, introduced me to some new pieces. The LP is in good shape, with the original shrink wrap. It is not on CD.

From the LP: "'...highly imaginative playing...flawless technique...' - Stereo Review"

From "All Music Guide to Classical Music":


Lauro: Andreina

Bach: Concerto No. 5 in F minor, Arioso

Mussorgsky: The Old Castle

Sagreras: Una Lagrima

Bach: Sonata No.2 in A minor, Andante

Tom T. Hall: For the People in the Last Hard Town (1973)

Mercury 0598

This album, though it contains Tom T. Hall's biggest hit ("I Love"), is not on CD. "Pay No Attention to Alice," "Subdivision Blues," and "I Love" all appear on various compilation CDs, however.

This was a thrift shop find (99¢), in excellent condition inside and out. Some great musicians play on the record, including Vassar Clements, Charlie McCoy, and others.

Joe, Don't Let Your Music Kill You

Back When We Were Young

Last Hard Town

I Know Who I'll Be Seeing in New Zealand

(All selections written by Tom T. Hall)

Bonny North Tyne: Northumbrian Country Music (1974)

Topic 12TS239

Topic Records made many great "World Music" LPs back when the genre consisted of mostly ethnographic field recordings. I always pick up any LP I see on the Topic label (as well as other great "world music" labels, such as Original Music or the LPs in the Nonesuch Explorer Series).

This was a thrift store find (99¢), in beautiful shape, except for the red tape along the top of the cover. It sounds near new. It is not on CD.

From the LP:
"John Armstrong: fiddle, Billy Atkinson: mouth organ, Billy Conroy: whistle, George Hepple: fiddle, Joe Hutton: small-pipes, Donald Ridley: accordeon, Recorded and produced by Tony Wilson and Tony Eagle"

John Armstrong & Joe Hutton: The Rowan Tree/Jock Of Hazeldean

Additional tracks, by request:

Billy Conroy: Green Castle/Spot On/Corn Rigs

Billy Conroy: Jenny Bell Polka

Billy Conroy: Napoleon's Grand March/Untitled March

Billy Conroy: Liverpool Hornpipe/Steamboat Hornpipe

John Armstrong & Joe Hutton: Sir Sidney Smith's March

From the LP: "The Billy Conroy tracks were taken from tape recordings originally made by Pete Knowles for the North-East Folk Federation"

Eric Schoenberg: Steel Strings (1982)

Rounder Records 3041

Eric Schoenberg is a fingerstyle guitarist and an innovator in ragtime guitar playing. He went on to found Schoenberg Guitars, a maker of very well-regarded acoustic guitars.

Two songs from Steel Strings, "Sidh Beag Agus Sidh Mor" and "All In Good Time" appear on the CD Rounder Guitar: A Collection of Acoustic Guitar. Otherwise, his solo albums are not on CD.

I picked this LP up at a garage sale in Brooklyn along with another Schoenberg LP, "Acoustic Guitar." I paid two or three dollars for it. It is in good condition, though with an audible scratch through half of "Sunflower Slow Drag."

From the LP: "All tunes arranged for finger-style guitar by Eric Schoenberg."

Talk About Suffering

Sunflower Slow Drag

More Eric Schoenberg here.