Dig This

In 1964, Sinatra had the world on a string. He and the Rat Pack ruled Las Vegas, television, the box office, and recordings. This particular installment was the second Basie-Sinatra collaboration, and in my opinion the superior one. The key elements that excelled this record above the previous one, and many other Sinatra records, was the collection of great songs and the arrangements of musical genius, Quincy Jones. It’s the ultimate swing record from the 1960′s – yielding several Sinatra standards like Fly Me To The Moon, The Good Life, and The Best Is Yet To Come. The recording itself sounds great, with a really nice stereo spectrum and “controlled leakage” within the orchestra. Frank is no doubt using a U47 for his vocals, which is parked perfectly one notch above the orchestra’s volume. By the way, Freddie Green’s archtop guitar, probably an Epiphone, makes each track appropriately “thump.”

Recommended Ride: 1962 Dual Ghia L6.4 or 1964 Imperial Crown Coupe

This was Sting’s 4th solo recording after the break-up of The Police. He has a way of blending Rock, Jazz, and Classical that is extremely commercial and obviously appealing to the public – this release had two Top 40 singles, a movie soundtrack slot (Leathal Weapon 3), and a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video. This was the record that brought my attention to a piccolo snare, and who better to play it that Vinnie Colaiuta. I had barely played one up to that point but knew what it was – thanks to Jerry Kroon – and bought one right away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this disc, it’s so energetic and laid-back at the same time. The material is classic, story songs or true “ballads” as they were called years ago. Sting’s background as an educator truly comes out in the lyrics, sporting an English Poetry flare. There’s also a Nashville connection on this album – the great steel guitarist Paul Franklin appears on the track “The Munificent Seven,” a Western-story song in which the verses written in 7/8 and choruses in 4/4 (genius!) Dominic Miller’s guitar work is fantastic on this record – very tasty and melodic, with great tones.

Recommended Ride: 1991 BMW 850i or Mercedes SL

This was the first of many amazing records by Latin pianist and composer Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66. He was a fantastic jazz musician from Brazil who had experimented with different jazz combinations and various vocalists in the early ’60s. He found a successful formula when he blended the then-hit style of Bossa Nova with Pop music, the result was a breezy, hip latin-pop sound. One of the signature elements of the group was the dual-lead female vocals of Janis Hansen and Lani Hall (who later became Herb Alpert’s wife.) Sergio’s arrangements would take the girls on a ribbon-like path through each song, dominantly unison parts but splitting to close harmonies on certain lines, with backup vocals provided by the male voices in the band. Actually, the sequential albums like “Equinox”"Look Around” and “Fool On The Hill” saw greater commercial success, but I like this record for it’s raw energy. Once you dig this one, the others will find their way into your collection pretty quickly…. you can’t get enough of it!

Recommended Ride: 1966 Thunderbird Roadster or 1966 Jaguar E-Type Roadster (with Union Jack paint!)

In 1999, Smash Mouth released “Astro Lounge,” a whole album dedicated to the “pop-retro” sound they had seen so much success from with “Walking On The Sun,” a single from their 1997 release “Fush You Mang.” The band had transitioned from punk-ska into sophistocated pop-rock on this recording which proved to be successful, with sales peaking at certified triple-platinum. This is one of my favorite records because of the production value, each instrument has relevance to the song – it’s as calculated as creativity can get. I’ve personally bought it four times, I keep giving it away to cats that I know will dig it! I’m a retro junkie and sometimes critical of those who attempt to “throw back,” but this record does retro justice, while being completely modern. The other significant thing about this album is the time of my life when I purchased it – I was a Buddy Holly/Sinatra geek at 21, driving a classic 1972 Volvo P1800 (Roger Moore drove one in “The Saint”.) Listening to this puts me in the drivers seat of that Volvo, ready for life’s adventure and yearning to make my mark in music. I found this record inspiring at the time, and still do. You’ve heard the hits, movie soundtrack cuts and commercials these songs were used on, but you need to dig the whole album, pallie!

Recommended Ride: Volvo P1800 or 1967 GTO Convertible

The Imperials have always been on the cutting edge of Gospel and Christian music. When Elvis decided to get back to live performances in the late 60′s he contracted them for his backup group. They constantly had memorable voices with great arrangements, Russ Taff being one of the greatest vocalists to be a part of the group. This 1979 release features Russ, Jim Murray, David Will, and Armond Morales – and produced by the musical prodigy, Michael Omartian. The tracks were cut in LA, which yielded a pretty edgy recording for that time in Christian music, but the market responded with amazing sales of the LP. This record has great grooves – courtesy of Paul Leim and Abe Laboriel – great material, some written by group members (and Tom Hemby!), and incredible arrangements by Omar. This record was truly groundbreaking and helped create a new genre for the Gospel Music industry.

Recommended ride: 1977 Lincoln Continental or 1978 Camaro

Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out was a ground-breaking jazz record when it released in 1958. As I was growing up listening to this album, I didn’t realize just how monumental it was. Dave took take jazz towards a more commercial sound, although all they were doing was playing jazz they way they wanted to. It’s actually surprising how successful the record was, considering Dave stepped out into uncharted territory with odd time signatures for over half of the album. He upset the true jazzers, who accused him of selling out to mainstream. But the outcome was the most memorable jazz composition of all time, “Take Five.” Even non-musical, left-brained squares can hum a line from the song and it’s instantly recognized.

Aside from a great record, Dave had a great band. Saxophonist Paul Desmond had a wonderful, soft tone – he played a melody like a vocalist would sing a lyric. Eugene Wright knew when to walk a bass line and when to use whole or half notes, keeping support under Dave’s piano “comping” techniques which always fit perfectly with Paul’s solos. Joe Morello was an excellent drummer, having a wonderful sense of swing and the ability to make the odd time signatures flow. Joe’s backbeats and accents were felt more than heard, and solid when needed.

Recommended Ride: 1962 Cadillac

Edward Van Halen is undoubtedly the greatest guitar innovator in rock music. His band, Van Halen, was a terrific vehicle for him to experiment and test new ideas on the masses. When 1984 came out, the band blended electronic instruments with rock. It had been done before by everyone from Prog Rock bands like Yes and ELP to Edgar Winter, but Ed and the band updated the sounds and approach. It worked. Although this record was David Lee Roth’s Exodus from the band, it was like a beginning to a new era for Van Halen, who has continued to use synth and keyboard as a part of their sound. Alex’s roto-tom drum kit is also a signature sound for this record, as well as the high harmonies of bassist Michael Anthony. This record ended up with four successful singles, two hit videos, and sales ending up at 10 million in the US. I remember this LP being available for purchase  anywhere, I even saw it at Kroger when it came out!

Recommended Ride: 1983 Pontiac Trans Am

My favorite Christmas album is John Denver and the Muppets – A Christmas Together. My parents bought the LP for me when I was a kid, during the hight of Jim Henson’s successful Muppet branding. It’s amazing to me how this record is very musical and theatrical, and neither entity overshadows the other. It’s like an audio episode of the Muppet Show itself. The characters all sing and have dialog with John as they highlight the traditional songs of the season and new material. Some of these songs are very blatant with the message of Christ’s birth, which kinda surprised me later on in life….but I love the fact that someone wasn’t scared to sing about what they believed. The most moving track is Silent Night, where Denver tells the story of how the song was written followed by the muppet cast singing a verse in the originally-written language of German. This album has been re-released on CD but two songs are cut from the lineup. The original RCA release has all the songs on it, so try to find it on vinyl. The tracks have the same feel that the Muppet Show had, using the same LA session musicians like Hal Blaine, Jim Horn, Glen D. Harden, Emory Gordy, and James Burton.

Recommended Ride: A one-horse open sleigh

I listed Aja as the great Steely Dan record, although I can listen to their whole catalog straight through. Aja was a slight turn towards a more commercial sound for Fagen and Becker. They tracked everything in LA, using the top session cats of the day. There are tons of historical performances on this record – Steve Gadd’s drum solo on the title track, Jay Graydon’s guitar solo in Peg, one of the greatest solos of all time, Omartian’s piano work on selected tracks, Michael McDonald’s background vocals, and the drum grooves provided by Rick Marotta, Bernard Purdie, Ed Greene, and Jim Keltner. Of course, the material provided for the record was top notch, filled with classic “Dan-isms” that made these guys artists among artists. I had the Peg 45rpm when I was a kid, passed down from Dad (who claims he spent hours learning the guitar solo and at one time could pull it off, but he’s never proven it to me!) Its amazing how visual the intro is while the record is spinning on the turntable, you can see that guitar-flanger effect in motion.

I could gush like a school girl about this record, but I’ll let you come to your own conclusions about how fantastic it is. It’s also a great record for Steely Dan novices to get more familiar with their body of work. I’ve converted a lot of cats to Dan Heads with this one.

Recommended Ride: 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo or Chrysler Cordova

Ok, this is the only record on the list that is a compilation. It’s a rule bender but well worth it. Capitol Records released a collection of campy, hip, groovy swing albums of material from the 50′s, 60′s, and 70′s called Ultra Lounge. Each volume features a specific instrument or style (Organs In Orbit, Bachelor Pad Royale, Mambo Fever, Bongoland, etc.) My favorite volume is Bossa Novaville, a hip group of signature artists relative to Latin music, and Pop artists with hits in the genre. Cats like Ray Anthony, Sergio Mendes, Martin Denny, Wanda De Sah, and Cannonball Adderley run through the best recordings of these songs. You really need a smoking jacket and horn-rimmed glasses to truly dig this record. It’s perfect for dinner music, reading time, or relaxing on the beach. These recordings all have that LA sound from the early 60′s, big room recordings with echo chambers and EMT 140 plates.

Recommended Ride: 1960 Chrysler 300-F Convertible or 1962 Studebaker Avanti