Sounds like a title to a Transformers movie. This album can peek interest just by the cover images. I wanna say I was first introduced to this album by my friend Casey. I know he put me onto this version of James Brown - Give it up or turn it loose. This album has all the ingredients that I consider make a great record. The artwork, the thick glossy gatefold cover, and a variety of songs and styles. I think I am adhd in that manner. Funny enough, maybe it’s because it’s a moog record, but I still find these in the $1.00 bins. The copy I have here (out of the many copies I own), is pretty mint. My favorite songs are Alfie and Give it up or turn it loose, but it’s worthy of needle drops on other titles as well. Definitely worth $5.00, and I’ll buy as many $1.00 clean copies as I can.

Boy do our musical tastes have a way of changing through the years. I can recall a time when I was only looking for big drum breaks and sold off whatever wasn’t fitting. Another time when I would blindly trade away records I had for hip hop, then had to refind years later (Dexter Wansel) to re-add to my collection. This album was passed over several times in my younger age. I heard the song “Love Song” while going through music on Spotify, it might have been a recommendation based on the playlist I was creating, but knew right away that I had passed by this album cover photo several times. It’s pretty recognizable. Fast forward to a couple months ago, after at least a year of asking my buddies and record dealers if they had a copy, going to another record guys house to grab a different record, finally getting a copy. This dude Eddie had came up on the Main Street Antiques left over records and invited Mike (ModCityRecords) and Pat (VinylFever) over to go through the pile. I had my son Rylee with me, “I just gotta stop by real quick and grab a record.” That old lie. 😂 When I walked in and saw them dudes going through the piles Pat says, “Hey buddy, I thought you might like this” and handed me a Dj Format - English Lesson 12” (which I honestly think was one of mine I had traded some 20+ years ago). Pat is in touch man!! After some dry digging through the Turlock leftovers, and a shot to Christen the affair, Pat says, “Hey, weren’t you looking for a Lani Hall Record!?!” There it was. This record hunt can feel rewarding, even if your buddy just unearths the gem for you. Morals of the story, “Keep learning, Create bonds in your community, and Keep searching for what you love.” P.S. I should have looked at the players on this album long ago. Lani Hall sang with Sergio Mendes Brazil 66, this album produced by Herb Alpert, and has players Pete Jolly, Tim Weinberg, and Larry Carlton, to name a few. 💪🏽

There is this thing that happens when I get recommended great music, or stumble across an artist, I immediately want and hope to find their albums. Back 12 years ago when I first heard of Utah Philllips I went to Saltys Record Attic and there it was, the exact album that sparked my ear in the first place. I am sure anyone that had shopped at Saltys would tell you that they were overpriced, and at that time you may be right, but there were plenty of instances were I found the records I was looking for, I just had to pay the price to take them home. This record cost me $22.50, and I can tell you with confidence because if you bought records from Saltys, you know the price was written in a small sticker on the cover, and on the actual record in the run out. There wasn’t gonna be any funny business with Ramona. Utah Phillips was introduced to me by my good friend and coworker James Lynch (J and J Construction). The first song James showed me was called “The Most Dangerous Woman”, about a Union Miners widow named Mary Harris Jones Aka Mother Jones. I could tell right away that I would get some value from Utah Phillips. I would consider him a folk singer, an incredible storyteller, and an activist. Another song that sticks out from his catalog is, “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum”. Utah had seen some stuff and it is evident in his lyrics. The reason why I needed to find this Utah Phillips Album in particular was due to a song that was so haunting and beautiful at the same time that I couldn’t get it out of my head. It is probably one of the few songs I would feel comfortable singing along with. It’s called “Going Away” and I cherish it. I have played it around my wife and kids, some friends have heard it, and some coworkers, and I can honestly say that this song might just be something personal for me. I don’t know if even James took to this exact song. Great album. Thank you James and Utah