SWEETER MEMORIES: "SOMETHING/ANYTHING?" TODD RUNDGREN (1972)

"SOMETHING/ANYTHING?"
TODD RUNDGREN
All Music and Lyrics by Todd Rundgren
except "Overture-My Roots: Money (That's What I Want)/Messin' With The Kid" composed by Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy Jr.
"Dust In The Wind" composed by Moogy Klingman
Produced by Todd Rundgren
Released February 1972

I had no intention of writing a new feature celebrating Todd Rundgren so soon but inspiration...or better yet...a wave of nostalgia overtook me.

As of the week of August 26th, the student body of the University Of Wisconsin-Madison began to move back onto campus. The sights of those new and returning students, plus the signage all over campus directing them and their families to the location of their residence halls, instantly took me back to the point when I was performing the exact same feat when I was 18 years old 26 years ago. Dear readers and listeners, I have always been a person who has remained extremely inter-connected with the cycle of the school year and because of that, I go through this same wave of nostalgia at the beginning and end of each and every school year. The year 1987 holds a reverential significance to me because it was the year when life changed so completely that it all felt to be a bit of a rebirth and Todd Rundgren's "Something/Anything?" was a crucial element of my personal soundtrack.

"Something/Anything?," Todd Rundgren's third solo album and pop cultural breakthrough in the early part of 1972, was an album I discovered in the early part of 1987, when I was just about to graduate from high school. During that summer, I spent a somewhat solitary and increasingly introverted period crawling into myself, submerging myself in music and writing and mentally preparing myself for leaving home to begin my Freshman year of college at the University Of Wisconsin-Madison. Todd Rundgren was an artist, at that time, I knew absolutely nothing about but his name had crept into music articles, reviews and interviews from time to time and they always carried a certain aura of mystery as well as a supreme sense of reverence. That this Rundgren person was someone so formidable, so unusual, so special, that the mere audio waves of radio could not even begin to contain or even comprehend someone like him. One piece of the Todd Rundgren puzzle that fascinated me tremendously was that Rundgren had been celebrated for being a musician who typically played and sang every single note on his albums all by his lonesome. This factoid seriously piqued my interest because as I was about to leave the uncomfortable confines of high school, with all of its misconceived perceptions and series of public faces utilized for self-preservation and secluding massive insecurities, I was at a stage where I really wanted to try and find out exactly who I was away from this particular life situation and group of people I had known since childhood. A musical artist who made albums all by himself seemed to represent a certain intense, and almost magical, individuality that was attractive and inspiring to me--especially at that time, I was only really aware that Prince was such a musician, and he seemed like he landed on Earth from Jupiter! So, I slowly began to hunt and peck to see what I could find.

The first Rundgren related album I ever purchased was actually not one of his solo albums but one performed with his band Utopia, entitled "Adventures In Utopia" (released December 27, 1979). Based upon a great Orwellian themed music video I had seen and thoroughly enjoyed, I purchased a second Utopia album entitled "Oblivion" (released January 1984).

 

And I think that the first Todd Rundgren solo releases I found was in a cassette cut-out bin, and decidedly not the album a Rundgren novice would choose to begin with, the extraordinary, elegant and ethereal "Healing" (released January 28, 1981) and the dynamic, psychedelic hodge-podge, wall of sound and vision "A Wizard, A True Star" (released March 2, 1973). I have to admit that I didn't listen to any of those albums very much initially as they ere all confounding to varying degrees. But, I was indeed intrigued and still felt that my search was worth the continued pursuit.

 

Eventually and finally, I came across "Something/Anything?" the Todd Rundgren album that every record guide I thumbed through, had reviewed with the absolutely highest ratings possible. I took the cassette home, placed it into my boom box and pressed "PLAY"...

As Rundgren's wry self penned liner notes proclaimed, "Something/Anything?" began with "A bouquet of ear catching melodies," as the track "I Saw The Light" opened the musical doors to the double album triumphantly. If you are not familiar at all with the music of Todd Rundgren (as I am certain most of you are not), this song is one of the songs that YOU...WILL...KNOW! It is a timeless gem of pop song bliss that you have heard someplace, somewhere. You may even know all of the words and the melody and have never had the foggiest idea of who the artist ever was. When those first notes chimed through my speakers, I recognized the song instantly, and though to myself, "THIS is Todd Rundgren?!" It was a song I had long thought to have been performed by Carole King, as it was warm, sincere, classic songwriting at its finest. The actual effect of the song was something that I can only describe as "primal" as it was a song that I have known for my entire life. It is a song that has always been with me in some way. A part of my deepest sub-consciousness. And when I hear it to this day, I see a swirl of colors of light browns and golden hues that suggest my sweetest, earliest memories. It is as if I knew that song in the womb, even though I was born a few years before it entered the world! In regards to this song, according to Rundgren himself in the liner notes, "If there's a single on this album, this is it, so I put it first like at Motown." Indeed, so ahead of the curve in its perceptiveness and how correct as this song has stood the test of time so valiantly. Now, knowing whom I was listening to, I began to think that this album might be the perfect listening experience in my opening courses in "Todd Rundgren 101."

Well...not quite.

I listened to the entire double album and once it was completed, and even after being gobsmacked for a second time when his eternal classic "Hello, It's Me" appeared deep within Side Four, I exited my "Something/Anything?" experience a little less than impressed. With a very lengthy internal "eye roll," I thought to myself, "Man...this album was a little too 70s...It's too mellow!" And with that, I shelved it.

But then, a day or so later, I plucked it out to try it again. I listened, still unimpressed, to all four sides and returned to my original impression. But then, the next day, I listened to it again. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And before I knew it, and especially by the end of the summer when I was packing up to leave my Chicago home for Madison, WI., I realized that I had been listening to Todd Rundgren's "Something/Anything?" almost every single day...and how deeply in love with it I had grown.

While "Something/Anything?" had grown on me so organically and wonderfully that it had informed the few other Rundgren related releases that I had previously purchased and was confused b, this album was the one I cherished the most and was also the one that began to fuel my pursuit of more Rundgren/Utopia releases afterwards. I poured myself into that album so completely and became so infatuated with Todd Rundgren's musical vision that he soon became a hero to me. As I was beginning to think about what my world view actually was, I would hear another Todd Rundgren song and discover that he was articulating things in the exact way that I would do it, if only I knew how. The music spoke to me and through me and once I cracked the code to "Something/Anything?," an entirely new musical universe was opened to me.

First of all, "Something/Anything?" certainly did promote Todd Rundgren as a musical pioneer and an individualist unlike most. Sides One, Two and Three of the album contain songs all written, produced, arranged, sung and performed completely and only by the man himself...and he was only 24 years old at the time. By contrast, Side Four was recorded live in the studio with Rundgren and friends, with no studio overdubs whatsoever. Returning to Side One and what follows "I Saw The Light," Rundgren delivers the earnestly beautiful slow jam "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" and then follows that with "Wolfman Jack," a jive talkin' slab of R&B with sassy harmony backing vocals and punchy horn section (again played entirely by Rundgren).

After listening to this album for the past 26 years of my life, I feel that this album really begins with the fourth song "Cold Morning Light." For all of the musical diversity that runs throughout all four sides of the album, one aspect of "Something/Anything?" that has meant so tremendously to me has been Todd Rundgren's role as a heart on sleeve romantic. His love songs stand head and shoulders above most of the GAJILLIONS of love songs I have heard throughout my life because Todd Rundgren's ballads seem to be written and felt from the inside out as they are not only so perceptively observed bu they always seem to under stand exactly what love it all about. When I was 18 and had experienced a variety of romantic woes and disappointments and one crushingly painful episode of heartbreak, Rundgren's songs on this album just got the mental and emotional state down to the bone. "Cold Morning Light," from the lyrics ("The wound you left is healing and then...it stars itching and I scratch it open again."), to the tempo, the instrumentation, the singing and overall performance, just understood heartache in a way that I had not quite heard it before. Even his lack of musical proficiency on certain instruments (notably the drums), only enhanced the melancholy mood and sentiment of the song. And then, the song seamlessly slides into the keyboard driven jewel "It Takes Two To Tango (This Is For The Girls)," which itself is later followed by the likes of the sweeping "Marlene" (whose opening moments just sound like someone's breath being taken away by the sight of a beautiful girl), the power pop diamond "Couldn't I Just Tell You" and the more than appropriately named "Torch Song."

But "Something/Anything?" is not all ballads. Todd Rundgren the guitar hero emerges powerfully on heavier rock workouts like "Black Maria" (my college roommate said that it reminded him a little bit of Pink Floyd's "Breathe" although Rundgren's tune arrived a full year earlier) and the muscle car joyride "Little Red Lights." Yet, the album also contained several selections that would foreshadow Rundgren's musical journeyman spirit, his ahead of the curve experimentation and at times, impish tendencies (much of which is found on Side Four's studio chatter), which often proves to be very infectious. There is the Gilbert and Sullivan styled ditty ("Song Of The Viking"), a brief instrumental foray into synthesizers ("Breathless"), musical dirty jokes ("Piss Aaron," "You Left Me Sore," "Slut"), soft psychedelia ("I Went To The Mirror"), a striking, haunting story song ("The Night The Carousel Burnt Down") and "Saving Grace," what may be one of Rundgren's earliest entries into Utopian territory with his self-described "Theme song for a generation" which also simultaneously works as a song of individualistic self-affirmation ("I know the time is gonna come when I will mean something to someone. Until that day, I'm hanging on..."). And still, there's even more...

One of the very BEST and most audacious moments on the entire double album is when the music stops completely and Todd Rundgren addresses the listener and asks us to indulge him by playing an audio game of finding all of the possible mistakes contained throughout the record. Of course, this is something you cannot do with a cassette, CD or digital file, which just makes the exchange even that much more audacious and funny. Once you put all of the album's pieces together, you are able to hear just how much fun this album was to make as well as to listen to.

Todd Rundgren's "Something/Anything?" is pop masterpiece, the kind of which has really never been duplicated and even Rundgren himself has never revisited due to his musically exploratory spirit, and even in 2013, this album remains modern and nostalgic. Remember, Rundgren was just 24 years old at the time and I firmly believe that if you have not heard this album before, you will be won over by his his sense of wonderment, exploration and sheer abandon with the joy of creation and discovery.

As for me, and in addition to everything I have written, "Something/Anything?" is an album that is just meant for quiet, solitary, lonely, lost August afternoons where life itself is endlessly vast and filled with a sense of possibility. Every single time I put this album on, I am magically transported as that open road of my past re-appears so vividly in the windows of my mind, while new roads and visions of possibility reveal themselves as well.

And to think, all of this from watching college students move back into the city to travel their own new roads of possibilities.

FROM THE DJ'S LISTENING BOOTH: THE ALBUMS OF 2013 PART THREE

"RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES"
DAFT PUNK
Produced by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Released May 17, 2013

I have been expressing this thought to myself for many years and years and that is the following: Disco is not dead. They'll just call it something else.

Dear readers and listeners, I am extremely late to the Daft Punk party and aside from a song or two and that LCD Soundsystem track which sings their praises, I know virtually nothing about the band aside from the silly conceit that the members are two faceless robots (actually Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo in disguise) who are slaves to the rhythms they create and that they are at the forefront of the EDM music scene, the latest re-invention of disco, proving that this particular musical genre has never faded into oblivion no matter how strongly memories of Chicago DJ Steve Dahl's still infamous "Disco Demolition" at Comiskey Park in 1979 lingers. And yet, it makes perfect sense that one of the biggest songs of the summer was "Get Lucky," a straight ahead, non-ironic disco song featuring the smooth vocals of Pharrell Williams and propelled by the exquisite guitar work of disco/funk legend Nile Rogers. It was a song so pure in intent that is sounded as if it was plucked right out of the ashes of that aforementioned Disco Demolition completely unscathed and yet, it was also the perfect song for right now in 2013.

"Random Access Memories," the album from which "Get Lucky" resides, is easily one of 2013's most wonderful albums as Daft Punk have not only resurrected elements of disco, they have actually taken their electronic sounds back to the basics of the more analog synths and live instrumentation that undoubtedly inspired them as musicians. It is a supremely warm, inviting, and at times oddball concept album about a robot (or humanity's) need to regain, reclaim and re-connect with that increasingly elusive human touch in our advancing technological age. That concept, merged with the overall sound of the album made me feel as if I was listening to one of Air's stranger recordings. or better yet...an album by The Alan Parsons Project! 

The album's opening track "Give Life Back To Music," serves a nothing less than a rainbow colored fanfare as well as a passionate mission statement for everything we are about to hear throughout this album which, in the days of vinyl, could easily be a sprawling double album complete with massive gatefold illustrations and lyrics to sink yourself into. The concept extends itself most explicitly through two tracks. The first being "Giorgio By Moroder," the nine minute prog rock/funk tribute to electronic music pioneer Giorgio Moroder (who appears on the track detailing his musical odyssey). The second is the goofy, bizarre, surprisingly sincere and...ahem...downright touching track, "Touch" featuring Paul Williams as the voice or inner soul of a robot or computer desiring human connection and augmented by orchestras, barrelhouse ragtime piano, children's choirs and whatever else Daft Punk decided to throw into the musical stew. That track in particular is one that should be an absolute disaster but succeeds grandly through the purity of the excursion.

Mostly, Daft Punk allows the human-made grooves and the intentionally simplistic and mantra like lyrics to carry the day as far as the concept goes. "The Game Of Love" is a vocoder sung slow jam while the fantastic "Instant Crush" (featuring warm electronically treated vocals by Julian Casablancas) is a PERFECT pop song. But "Lose Yourself To Dance" (also featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rogers) is the album's unquestionable stand out as the hypnotic swirl of Rogers' interlocking guitar rhythms, combined with dizzying vocoder vocals and Williams' slinky invitations for you to take his shirt and wipe up all the "Sweat! Sweat! Sweat!!" What greater way to suggest the life that music brings to us all than to conjure up the emotions and physicality that arrives when on the dance floor? Daft Punk shows that human contact does not have to be a memory long vanished. So, just listen to this terrific album and let's all make some new ones!

"...LIKE CLOCKWORK"
QUEEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Produced by Joshua Homme and James Lavelle
Released June 3, 2013

What a disturbingly long road back.

No one, not even Queens Of The Stone Age's lead singer/songwriter/mastermind Joshua Homme, could have anticipated that the follow up release to the band's extravagantly pulverizing "Era Vulgaris (released June 12, 2007) would have taken six long years to come to fruition...and not that Homme hasn't been quite busy, especially after recording and touring with his supergroup Them Crooked Vultures alongside Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. Yet, on my very first listen to this album, I was struck as to just how disturbing the proceedings actually were, to the point that "...Like Clockwork" became a downright frightening experience. A little DJ detective work discovered that Joshua Homme's personal life in between albums did indeed take a frightening turn of events, that undoubtedly formulated this new batch of mercilessly delivered grim material.

Seemingly Joshua Homme undertook a somewhat routine surgical procedure during which he supposedly lost his life for a blessedly brief period of time. While recuperating, he underwent a bout of writer's block brought on by a debilitating depression, even though his bandmates (multi-instrumentalists Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Fertita, Michael Shuman) and friend Trent Reznor attempted to cajole him into recording again. Homme eventually conceded, found the gumption to push forwards and eventually emerged with this existential howl of a song cycle, which is easily the most mature work the band has produced to date, without sacrificing one bit of the dangerous rock and roll edge they have cultivated for themselves. Frankly, with the serious musings and darkly painful observations that run rampant throughout "...Like Clockwork," this album just may be their most brutally rampaging and heart aching album yet.

While "I Sat By The Ocean" details a drunken night by the water spent trying to forget a lost love, the very bulk of the album seems to be giving us signposts into Homme's dark depressive period as well as his insights, fears and pains with aging and mortality. "Keep Your Eyes Peeled, "The Vampyre Of Time And Memory," "I Appear Missing" and "Kalopsia" (on which Reznor appears) are all relentlessly unsettling selections that contain pummeling rhythms that slunk and creep like hungry zombies, place Homme's gorgeous yet sinister vocals (especially that spine-tinging falsetto) front and center and all contains lyrics that suggest being spiritually trapped in some sort of existential stasis and the difficulty with attempting to move forwards in life when your soul is ready to give up. "Fairweather Friends" is a prog rock epic, with shifting melodies and time signatures, exploding guitar solos and even the help of Elton John on piano, all compressed in under four minutes. "Smooth Sailing" is a true standout and Homme and his bandmates fly straight through some slinky, nasty, electrofied funk while "If I Had A Tail" and "My God Is The Sun" pack in the metallic crunch QOTSA is celebrated for. The album closer, "...Like Clockwork," forges completely new territory as Homme presents himself at his most fragile, amidst a sea of heavenly background vocals and sorrowful slide guitar that augment the harrowing lyrics that "Not everything that goes around, comes back around you know? One thing that is clear. It's all downhill from here."

Despairing stuff, true. But, powerfully infectious and even inviting. That said, and in comparison to the relatively warm sound of The Flaming Lips's most recent release, I think this album should have been called "The Terror."

"PARACOSM"
WASHED OUT
Produced by Ben H. Allen and Ernest Greene
Released August 13, 2013

The :musical genre known as "chillwave" is also completely new to me. Well...sort of. It's not the actual music, which seems to be a more rhythmic version of the trancey electronic music soundscapes that I have loved for most of my life. It's just the term, one more of which pops up suddenly and I just do not have the time or patience to keep up with. So, it is indeed all down to the music. I first heard of Washed Out, the brainchild of sole member Ernest Greene, through the track "Feel It All Around," which was utilized as the theme song for television's "Portlandia" and sounds like an outtake from Prince's "1999."

Like Daft Punk, Washed Out's second album "Paracosm" feels as if it is also trying to regain a more human quality by using analog synths, live instrumentation and natural world sounds to evoke an "end-of-summer" vibe that is warm, calming, peaceful and still quite danceable. It is precisely the type of sounds and album I would urge the likes of Moby, M83 and Passion Pit as their "more is more" synthetic soundscapes actually rob their works of some real personality as everything just sounds the same.

"It All Feels Right" is soothing psychedelia that wouldn't sound too far removed from Tame Impala's wonderland and "Weightless" sounds just as zero-gravity as you think it would. "Don't Give Up" and the woozy synth/Marvin Gaye styled "Great Escape" will liven up any late afternoon garden party. But it is on tracks like "All I Know," "Falling Back" and the title track where the bittersweet glory of "Paracosm" makes its full arrival as the music serves as the softly melancholy soundtrack to a setting sun or the fading of a season.

I am still getting into this album at the time of this writing but the way Washed Out has moved me, gives me continued hope that new music is still viable, vibrant and excitingly creative...no matter what name of genre you'd like to place it into.

THE "I'M WITH YOU" SINGLES COLLECTION RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

THE "I'M WITH YOU" SINGLES COLLECTION
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
Music and Lyrics by Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer
Produced by Rick Rubin
Released between August 14, 2012-July 23, 2013

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS:
Anthony Kiedis: Lead Vocals
Flea: Bass Guitar
Chad Smith: Drums
Josh Klinghoffer: Guitars, Keyboards, Backing Vocals

"There is no question-this is a beginning."
-Anthony Kiedis

"This is a new band. Same name. But, it's a new band."
-Chad Smith

"Finding songs that seem to want to join hands with others is a special task that require the right people...and the right songs! Some songs seem to have a lot more of an agenda than others. Some songs play well with others and some songs need more attention and a little extra care. Here are some songs that seemed to want to pair up and take a later train. Keep your eye on them, they're up to something..."
-Josh Klinghoffer

For a band as huge and as beloved as Red Hot Chili Peppers it is amazing how they continue to fly under my personal radar. Don't get me wrong, I have been a major fan of this band for over 25 years as their superior musicianship and explosive energy has never ceased to blow me away as they were a staple of my college radio, my brief stint clerking at the new defunct Discount Records on Madison's glorious State Street in 1991 and all of the years ever since. The first RHCP album I purchased was the now landmark "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" (released September 24, 1991) and while I have followed the band for every album release ever since and also despite their worldwide fame, critical acclaim and gargantuan album sales, they have somehow remained a bit of a dark-horse band for me. Perhaps it is due to their punk rock/heavy funk tinged with hip-hop roots and earlier material which suggested that Red Hot Chili Peppers was a ferociously raucous party band and not much else. That aspect combined with the still blazingly bright image of the band performing nearly nude with only tube socks covering their members, has certainly remained intact, making me wonder just how seriously the band has been received ever since. Yet, with each new release, beginning with "Californication" (released June 8, 1999) and especially with "By The Way" (released July 9, 2002)  they have continued to surprise me with their musical growth, their growing sophistication with subtlety, nuance, melodicism and lyrical reflection without sacrificing one molecule of their superior musicianship and their unquestionable allegiance to the funk.

By the time the sprawling, magnificent double album "Stadium Arcadium" (released May 9, 2006), entered the world, Red Hot Chili Peppers had most effectively blown my mind. While Anthony Kiedis's growth as a lyricist had already been apparent, his growth as a singer was just breathtaking to my ears. Chad Smith's drumming had grown more elastic while bassist Flea ascended with an increasingly "McCartney-esque" approach to his instrument. But much of the band's artistic elevation can be placed at the feet of former guitarist John Frusciante, who, album by album, began to increase his presence with the overall shaping of the music. His "less is more" approach slowly began to develop into new areas of layered guitar soundscapes, Beach Boys inspired background harmony vocals and studio wizardry, essentially making him the architect of the band's overall shift in their approach. With "Stadium Arcadium," he was a flame-throwing force fully unleashed as every single track of the 28 song album (plus the 9 B-sides) showcased Frusciante, and his extended guitar solos, on a level to which we had never seen/heard him operate before. John Frusciante had raised his game and therefore so did the band as a whole and with that album, the four band members were in lockstep to a degree where they could effectively have staked their claim as the best band in the world.

And then, after a grueling two year tour supporting "Stadium Arcadium," John Frusicante decided to depart the band (amiably) for the second time, desiring to focus upon his own solo music, which has included a demanding, conceptual almost wrenching spiritual work entitled "The Empyrean" (released January 20, 2009). Looking for a new guitarist was surprisingly easy for the remainder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers as they turned their attention to guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, a friend and collaborator of Frusciante's as well as a touring guitarist for the "Stadium Arcadium" tour. Klinghoffer, essentially already a member of the RHCP family, officially joined the band, recorded their most recent album "I'm With You" (released August 29, 2011) and what a difference a guitarist makes...a difference I am still getting used to as Josh Klinghoffer has some mighty big shoes to fill. Even so, I am now just beginning to think if he actually has accomplished this feat, while also instilling a new mountain for the Red Hot Chili Peppers to climb in the process.

"I'm With You" is a very strong album that finds and represents the Red Hot Chili Peppers progressing as well as finding themselves within a state of transition. On the one hand, the album is fully representative of what we know and love about this band as all of the songs continue to chronicle their tales of love, sex, music, drugs and death as they all relate to urgent themes of spiritual searching, transcendence and deliverance with the endlessly inspiring landscape of California as a backdrop. Kiedis, Flea and Smith are all operating in peak musical form and as a rhythm guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer's transition into the band from John Frusciante is completely seamless. But as I said, Frusciante's departure has left a glaring hole within the band and he is a presence that is almost impossible to actually replace.

Dear readers and listeners, I do not think that I can fully impress upon you just how much the "Stadium Arcadium" album floored me. It was an album that truly hit my musical sweet spot, and I really believe that it hit the band's sweet spot as well, and so much of that credit does indeed go to the titanic work John Frusciante brought to the musical table. Everything he did throughout that album and the B-sides felt to be absolutely right on the money to my ears and emotions as his backing vocals surrounded the music gloriously and his jaw dropping guitar playing elevated the entire proceedings making the album the full culmination of that foursome's work together. The band sounded unstoppable and for John Frusciante, it often felt as if the ghosts of Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane, plus the ongoing, living spirit of Lindsey Buckingham were somehow flowing through Frusciante's fingers, voice and soul, and that is something that just cannot be replaced. Wisely, Josh Klinghoffer understands that fact completely and bravely decided to carve his own path within the same musical territory and foundation that Frusciante created. But somehow, it's kind of like having the furious expansiveness and expressiveness Hendrix or Coltrane in your band and then replacing that with a figure with the textural qualities of a musician like Andy Summers or even Adrian Belew. Now don't get me wrong, Andy Summers and especially Adrian Belew are GREAT guitarists but their techniques are markedly different from someone like Hendrix. Josh Klinghoffer upon those first listens to "I'm With You" was indeed that jarring to me, and I would gather the band's as well, as the album also sounds like a band once unstoppable now having to find its way all over again.

What has been helping me tremendously with my and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' transition from Frusciante to Klinghoffer has been the nearly year long release of 17 additional songs from the "I'm With You" sessions. The tracks were released two at a time on both vinyl and digital formats and were displayed with cover art that was distributed equally in piecemeal, coming together in its entirety once all of the singles had been released (full image depicted above). Once completely collected, we have essentially been given a double album's worth of material and after listening though the entire set of singles, I come to a couple of realizations. The first is that the band, with longtime and legendary producer Rick Rubin, performed an outstanding job of sifting through a large amount of material and picked the best songs to represent the "I'm With You" album, the very album that will re-introduce them to an increasingly fickle listening audience, as well as retain the fellowship of their fan base. now that is not to suggest that the 17 song singles collection are nothing more than second tier material. On the contrary, the songs are ALL strong and sometimes very surprising pieces of work, that continue to display the band's sonic range in ways a re-introduction of an album may have been confounding. Additionally, the songs further display exactly what Josh Klinghoffer's influence is and how his textures and aesthetics may ultimately guide the band's future music, which Klinghoffer himself has expressed they hope to begin writing and recording by the end of 2013 or perhaps the very beginning of 2014.

The majority of the music found on the "I'm With You Singles Collection" could share musical headspace with the "By The Way" album as the songs are moody, reflective, introspective, mid tempo pieces that allow the music to breathe, shift and develop at their own seemingly relaxed pace. "Strange Man," "Magpies On Fire," "The Sunset Sleeps," "Catch My Death," "Brave From Afar," and the terrific "Never Is A Long Time" all float by on a bittersweet, melancholy breeze and here is where the difference in Josh Klinghoffer's musical style becomes readily apparent. While all of those songs do not display raging guitar solos, we are given the full effect of Klinghoffer's backing vocal wash. Where Frusciante's backing vocals where instantly grabbing and displayed with a more Brian Wilson styled vibe, Klinghoffer's almost androgynous sounding vocals are considerably more esoteric as they permeate rather than augment. Instead of lifting the songs upwards, the backing vocals, which are all treated with strange, distorted electronic textures and shadings, envelop the songs like a fog or like wind blowing through the trees or even better, like ghostly specters haunting the surroundings.

The louder, more intense songs showcase the band in different surroundings, like the almost industrial percussion heavy "Victorian Machinery," the swaggering blues and 50's doo-wop structured "Love Of Your Life," the odd timed funk of "This Is The Kitt," and the turbulently sweeping "Hanalei" (which begins kind of like The Police's "Secret Journey" and also places Klinghoffer's vocals front and center for a verse) are all excellent examples of how and why I had been so thrown off by Klinghoffer's guitar work. As I previously stated, his rhythm guitar playing has been seamless and therefore, the songs all begin in a similar vein to how we would all expect a Red Hot Chili Peppers song to sound like. But as the songs continue and reach the point where a guitar solo is bound to make its blistering arrival, that is when we are hit with the curve balls. John Frusciante's overall guitar work and solos throughout all of "Stadium Arcadium," and even guitarist Dave Navarro's work on the tricky "One Hot Minute" (released September 12, 1995) hit their targets like stinging bulls-eyes. But with Josh Klinghoffer, he absolutely never plays what you think that you should or could be hearing. This is very difficult for me to explain but how about this: when Frusciante played, everything hit right on target. When Klinghoffer plays, his guitar is purposefully filtered through a myriad of effects pedals and studio technology so that everything is awash in avant garde textures, so much so that what he plays in unexpected and all left angles.

The songs where the band and Klinghoffer locked in place upon first listen to my ears, were the tracks that I think are the most experimental and outre. There is the odd Country Western tinged with funk selection "Hometown Gypsy," for instance and "Pink As Floyd" fully lives up to its terrific title as it is a slow builder with heavy orchestration and feels like it was created in homage to the songs found on Side Three Pink Floyd's classic album "The Wall" (released November 30, 1979). "Open/Close," the final track of the Singles Collection finds the band in a propulsive groove sped along by Kiedis' hurried and mostly spoken word vocals detailing free flowing memories, tales from the past, pronouncements that we are all "dreamers within a dream," and even invoking the spirit of deceased best friend and original RHCP guitarist Hillel Slovak seems to find the roaring middleground and future leanings for the band's ever developing sound. The eight minute "In Love Dying," is a real standout as Flea and Chad Smith's percolating rhythm section plus Anthony Kiedis' behind the beat vocals creates a pattern that suggests eternal travel while Josh Klinghoffer's psychedelic guitar work seems to represent the soul itself in flight. By that song's mid-section where Kiedis' vocals drops out and is taken over by Klinghoffer's guitars, everything that had been so elusive to me about the band's new direction fell beautifully into place. It is a track that you could drive across town to while it plays upon repeat, taking you from station to station, from one astral plane to the next. If this is the future of the band, who knows where they will end up and those possibilities are very exciting indeed.
     
As I listened to the Singles Collection, I was led backwards to the "I'm With You" album once again and even then, I was led to watching You Tube clips from the "I'm With You" tour as I wanted to see Josh Klinghoffer in action. I was immediately struck with his dexterity and flowing fury as his guitar solos were fiery and dynamic. And then there was a striking clip in which Klinghoffer joined Chad Smith on drums no less to perform a stunning polyrhythmic duet which was then accompanied by Flea on trumpet. The daring, dazzling experimentation and musical excellence on display was thrilling to me as it just suggested the possibilities of where Red Hot Chili Peppers could actually go with future music. That there was still vitality and purpose with this band. That they have not decided to just coast upon their legend by having a new, copycat guitarist join their ranks but to instead invite a new (and now youngest band member) to shape shift the music just enough that it makes them re-think about how they respond to each other musically as well as us to them!

Sometimes you can find a band or an artist's truest sense of artistic intents and purposes within an album's deepest cuts, B-sides or even through unreleased material. For Red Hot Chili Peppers, it has taken the official release of these 17 songs to begin illuminating their musical experience. I urge you to leave all memories of those nearly nude tub sock wearing days long behind (if you have not already done so) and find your way to this collection of music.

THE "I'M WITH YOU SINGLES COLLECTION": FULL TRACKLIST

1. "Strange Man"/"Long Progression"     

Released August 14, 2012

2. "Magpies On Fire"/"Victorian Machinery"     

Released September 11, 2012

3. "Never Is A Long Time"/"Love Of Your Life"     

Released October 2, 2012

4. "The Sunset Sleeps"/"Hometown Gypsy"     

Released November 6, 2012

5. "Pink As Floyd"/"Your Eyes Girl"     

Released January 4, 2013

6. "In  Love Dying"     

Released February 1, 2013

7. "Catch My Death"/"How It Ends"

8. "This Is The Kitt"/"Brave From Afar"

9. "Hanalei"/"Open/Close"

All Released July 23, 2013

WSPC SESSION NOTES FOR AUGUST 2013

FROM THE DJ'S STUDIO DESK:

What a month July was and I am so thankful that Synesthesia was here to house all of the milestones, personal history and a newfound sense of intent to this blogsite. As Questlove pronounced so eloquently in his excellent book Mo' Meta Blues, and also paraphrasing and adapting, I am utilizing Synesthesia to essentially record my life through the recordings I listen to and continue to shape me, and I sincerely hope that you take this journey with me...and if you feel so compelled, please do add your own verses to this on-going song.

As with last month, I would like to approach August with no real sense of definitive plans and schemes and just allow inspiration to lead me along. I have already begun writing one posting regarding Red Hot Chili Peppers and I do have a second posting in mind and in addition to the "On This Day In Music" feature. Beyond that, we shall see...

Musically, this is a rather quiet period for new releases but I am seeing on the horizon that a plethora of exciting new albums will be flowing in my direction and I am hoping that time and most especially, finances, will help me keep up to date!

But as the Summer season slowly phases into Autumn, I hope that you remain tuned into my musical musings and passions and I will pledge to deliver as best as I am able for you as wellas myself.

With that, grab your microphones, picks and sticks. Get your most favorite music, plug in and just press PLAY!!

WSPC PLAYLIST JULY 2013

July 1, 2013

WSPC PREMIERES...
"I Won't Be Long" performed by Beck
"Came Back Haunted" performed by Nine Inch Nails
"Trying To be Cool" performed by Phoenix
"Smooth Sailing" performed by Queens Of The Stone Age
"Touch" performed by Daft Punk
"Defriended" performed by Beck

July 3, 2013
"Flying" performed by The Beatles
"La Foret De Mimosas" performed by Kirsty MacColl
"Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" performed by Elton John
"Magnolia Mountain" performed by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
"Lyric" performed by Zwan

"Menstrual Cycle" performed by Prince and 3rd Eye Girl-WSPC PREMIERE
"Octopus Heart" performed by Prince and 3rd Eye Girl-WSPC PREMIERE

"Human Behavior" performed by Bjork
"No Difference" performed by Everything But The Girl
"Double Trouble" performed by The Roots with Mos Def
"Nothing That Has Ever Happened So Far Has Been Anything You Could Control" performed by Tame Impala

July 4, 2013
"4th Of July" performed by Soundgarden
"4th Of July" performed by Aimee Mann
"Fireworks" from Schoolhouse Rock
"The Star Spangled Banner" performed by Jimi Hendrix

July 5, 2013

FEATURED ARTIST: TONY CAREY/PLANET P. PROJECT
"Onwards"-WSPC PREMIERE
"A Fine, Fine Day"
"Why Me?"
"Armageddon"
"My Radio Talks To Me"
"To Live Forever"
"Artie When We Need You"
"Room With A View"
"Blue Highway"
"Only The Young"
"Live And Let Live"
"The First Day Of Summer"
"I Won't Be Home Tonight"
"Vigilante"
"Love Don't Bother Me"

FEATURED ALBUM: "PINK WORLD" PLANET P. PROJECT-IN ITS ENTIRETY

July 6, 2013
"Lips Like Sugar" performed by Echo and the Bunnymen
"Long Breakdown" performed by Oingo Boingo
"Absolute" performed by Scritti Politti
"World Sick" performed by Broken Social Scene
"Lockdown" performed by Johnny Marr
"Sister Havana" performed by Urge Overkill
"Burn To Shine" performed by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
"Without You" performed by Natalie Maines-WSPC PREMIERE
"I Must be Dreaming" performed by Cheap Trick

"Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" performed by U2
"Let Forever Be" performed by The Chemical Brothers
"Brutal" performed by New Order
"Dream On" performed by Depeche Mode

July 7, 2013

BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO RINGO STARR
"Free As A Bird" performed by The Beatles
"She Loves You"
"Back Off Boogaloo"
"Weight Of The World"
"Never Without You"
"I Am The Walrus" performed by The Beatles
"A Day In The Life" performed by The Beatles
"Photograph"
"Walk With You"
"I'm The Greatest"

July 9, 2013
"Force Majeure" performed by Tangerine Dream

July 11, 2013
"Mind Your Manners" performed by Pearl Jam-WSPC PREMIERE
"Ghetto Rock" performed by Mos Def
"Once (Here To Kick One For You)" performed by Handsome Boy Modeling School

July 12, 2013

HAPPY 76TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO BILL COSBY
"Revenge"
"Chocolate Cake For Breakfast"
"Noah"
"Chicken Heart"
"The Dentist"
"The Same Thing Happens Every Night"

July 13, 2013

"AMERIKKKA'S MOST WANTED" ICE CUBE-IN ITS ENTIRETY
"Beyond Treyvon" performed by Public Enemy
"Strange Fruit" performed by Billie Holiday

JULY 14, 2013-RETURN TO WLHA ON WSUM

July 16, 2013

HAPPY 61ST BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO STEWART COPELAND
"Regatta De Blanc" performed by The Police
"Bombs Away" performed by The Police
"Don't Box Me In"
"Lurking Solo"
"Gong Rock"
"Deathwish" performed by The Police
"Miss Gradenko" performed by The Police
"Murder By Numbers" performed by The Police
"Your Mother Is Not Crazy"
"Darkness" performed by The Police

July 17, 2013
"Funny Vibe" performed by Living Colour with Public Enemy
"Keep On Keeping On" (live) performed by Curtis Mayfield
"Believe It" performed by Planet P. Project

July 18, 2013
"Fire" performed by The Pointer Sisters
"Fire" (live) performed by The Ohio Players
"Fire" performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
"Baby's On Fire" performed by Brian Eno
"The Rhythm Of The Heat" performed by Peter Gabriel
"99.9 F" performed by Suzanne Vega
"Water" performed by The Who
"Fire" performed by Bruce Springsteen

July 19, 2013
"We Almost Lost Detroit" performed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
"Hot (I Need To be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" performed by JAMES BROWN

"Something Good" performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Fire And Rain" performed by James Taylor
"Sandman" performed by America
"Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride)" performed by Don Felder

July 20, 2013
"Hot You're Cool" performed by General Public
"Some Like It Hot" performed by The Power Station
"Getting Away With It" performed by Electronic
"Long Hot Summer" performed by The Style Council
"Constant Conversations" performed by Passion Pit
"Feel It All Around" performed by Washed Out
"Husam Husam" performed by The Anniversary

"Leave" performed by R.E.M.

July 21, 2013
"Sunday Morning" performed by The Velvet Underground
"A Sunday Kind Of Love" performed by Beth Rowley

HAPPY 66TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO BRIAN MAY (JULY 19TH)
All songs performed by Queen except where indicated

"Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon"
"Long Away"
"'39"
"Tie Your Mother Down"
"Sleeping On The Sidewalk"
"Dragon Attack"
"All Dead, All Dead"
"The Wedding March"
"Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley"
"God Save The Queen"-performed by Brian May LIVE at Buckingham Palace 2002

July 22, 2013
"Walk Us Uptown" performed by Elvis Costello and The Roots-WSPC PREMIERE
"Watching The Detectives" performed by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
"Mommy, What's A Funkadelic?" performed by Funkadelic

July 23, 2013
"Stone Cole" performed by Rainbow
"No Time To Lose" performed by The Tarney-Spencer Band
"Blinded By The Light" performed by Manfred Mann's Earth Band
"Seasons In The Sun" performed by Terry Jacks
"I Wanna Go To The Sun" performed by Peter Frampton

"Locomotive" performed by Guns N' Roses

July 24, 2013
"Soldier Blue" performed by Julian Cope
"He's Evil" performed by The Kinks
"Twinkle" performed by Erykah Badu
"My People...Hold On" performed by Eddie Kendricks

July 25, 2013
"Know Your Rights" performed by The Clash
"Dissidents" performed by Thomas Dolby
"Battleflag" performed by The Lo Fidelity All Stars
"Trapped" performed by Utopia
"Uprising" performed by Muse

July 26, 2013
"SING" from Seseme Street!

"Find My Way" (live) performed by Nine Inch Nails-WSPC PREMIERE

July 27, 2013
"Public Servant" performed by Todd Rundgren

"LIARS" TODD RUNDGREN-IN ITS ENTIRETY

July 28, 2013
"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" performed by The Beatles
"Court And Spark" performed by Joni Mitchell
"Plants And Trees" performed by Jan Hammer
"Mood For A Day" performed by Yes
"Lazy Calm" performed by Cocteau Twins
"Guitar Flute And String" performed by Moby
"Sing Along" performed by Tony Carey
"Surf's Up" performed by The Beach Boys

July 29, 2013
"Police Station" performed by Red Hot Chili Peppers
LIVE IMPROVISATION with Chad Smith (drums), Josh Klinghoffer (drums) and Flea (trumpet)
"In Love Dying" performed by Red Hot Chili Peppers
SPOTLIGHT ON JOSH KLINGHOFFER--guitar solos

July 30, 2013

HAPPY 55TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO KATE BUSH 
"Cloudbusting"
"Rubberband Girl"
"Experiment IV"
"Hounds Of Love"
"Heads We're Dancing"
"The Man With The Child In His Eyes"
"Top Of The City"
"Egypt"
"Mrs. Bartolozzi"
"50 Words For Snow"
"This Woman's Work"
"Rocket's Tail"

July 31, 2013
"All You Fascists Bound To Lose" performed by Woody Guthrie
"Join Together" performed by The Who
"Listen To The Band" performed by The Monkees
"Our Day Will Come" performed by Ruby and the Romantics

ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC-JULY 2013

JULY 1: Happy 68th Birthday to Debbie Harry, vocalist of Blondie!

"Music From Big Pink" by The Band was released on this date in 1968. Happy 45th anniversary!!

JULY 2: "Imperial Bedroom" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions was released on this date in 1982.

"Rust Never Sleeps" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse was released on this date in 1979.

JULY 3: "Debut," the first solo album by Bjork was released on this date in 1993. Happy 20th Anniversary!!

IN MEMORIUM: Jim Morrison of The Doors passed away on this date 42 years ago in 1971.

JULY 4: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Singer/songwriter/Guitarist Bill Withers, age 75

Jeremy Spencer, songwriter/vocalist/guitarist/former member of Fleetwood Mac, age 65

"Foo Fighters," the debut album from Foo Fighters, was released on this date in 1995. Happy 18th Anniversary!!

JULY 5: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Robbie Robertson, singer/songwriter/guitarist of The Band/solo artist, age 70

Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis and the News, age 63

RZA, Producer/DJ/author/film composer/filmmaker, leader of Wu-Tang Clan, age 44

"Zooropa" by U2 was released on this date in 1993. Happy 20th Anniversary!!!

JULY 6: "Echo and the Bunnymen," the eponymous titled album was released on this date in 1987. Happy 26th Anniversary!!

The debut album by The B-52's was released on this date in 1979. Happy 34th Anniversary!!!

"Keep Yourself Alive," the first single by Queen was released on this date 40 years ago.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time on this date in 1957. And the world was changed forever...

JULY 7: Happy 73rd Birthday to RINGO STARR, my favorite drummer of all time and the man who inspired me to learn the drums myself. 

"Pleased To Meet Me" by The Replacements was released on this date in 1987. Happy 26th Anniversary!!!

JULY 8: Happy 43rd Birthday to Beck!

JULY 10: "A Hard Day's Night" by The Beatles was released on this date in 1964.

Happy 49th Anniversary!!!

"Otis Redding Live In Europe" was released on this date in 1967. Happy 46th Anniversary!!! 

JULY 11: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Bonnie Pointer of The Pointer Sisters, age 63

 Suzanne Vega, age 54

Peter Murphy, Bauhaus, solo artist, age 56

"Fleetwood Mac," the 10th album from Fleetwood Mac and the first to feature Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, was released on this date in 1975. Happy 38th Anniversary!!!

"Mind Bomb" by The The was released on this date in 1989. Happy 24th Anniversary!!!

JULY 12: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Christine McVie, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Fleetwood Mac, solo artist, age 70

John Wetton, singer/songwriter/bassist, King Crimson/Roxy Music/Asia, age 64

Dan Murphy, songwriter/guitarist Soul Asylum, age 51

and of course...BILL COSBY, comedian/actor/author/educator/ 

storyteller extraordinaire and musician, age 76

JULY 13: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Roger McGuinn, singer/songwriter/guitarist and founder/leader of The Byrds, age 71

Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone journalist and independent music writer/critic/

author, filmmaker, age 56 

"Queen," the debut album, was released on this date in 1973. Happy 40th Anniversary!!!

JULY 14: "Hello Nasty" by The Beastie Boys was released on this date in 1998. Happy 15th Anniversary!!! 

JULY 15: Happy 67th Birthday to Linda Ronstadt!

JULY 16: Happy 61st Birthday to songwriter, film/television/orchestral composer, multi-instrumentalist and drummer of The Police, Stewart Copeland!!!

Happy 65th Birthday to Ruben Blades!

JULY 17: "Edutainment" by Boogie Down Productions was released on this date in 1990. Happy 23rd Anniversary!!

"Yellow Submarine" was released in movie theaters on this date in 1968.

JULY 18: "Sketches Of Spain" by Miles Davis was released on this date in 1960. Happy 53rd Anniversary!!!

JULY 19: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Kevin Haskins, drummer Bauhaus/Love And Rockets, age 53

Brian May, singer/songwriter/composer/producer/legendary guitarist of Queen, age 66

JULY 20: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Kim Carnes, age 68

John Lodge of The Moody Blues, age 68

Carlos Santana, age 66

Chris Cornell, Soundgarden/Audioslave/solo artist, age 49

"Mott" by Mott The Hoople was released on this date in 1973. Happy 40th Anniversary!!!

JULY 21: "More Songs About Buildings And Food" by Talking Heads was released on this date in 1978. Happy 35th Anniversary!!!

JULY 22: "My Aim Is True," the debut album from Elvis Costello and the Attractions was released on this date in 1977. Happy 36th Anniversary!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the following artists:

George Clinton, the mastermind and overlord of Parliament, Funkadelic 

and all incarnations of the P-Funk mob, age 72

Rick Davies, singer/songwriter/keyboardist of Supertramp, age 69

Don Henley, singer/songwriter/drummer of The Eagles/solo artist, age 66

Will Calhoun, drummer/songwriter of Living Colour/solo artist, age 49

Rufus Wainwright, age 40

JULY 23: Happy 48th Birthday wishes to former Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver guitarist, studio musician and solo artist, Slash.

JULY 24: "Global A Go-Go" by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros was released on this date in 2001. Happy 12th Anniversary!!!!!

JULY 25: "Paul's Boutique" by The Beastie Boys was released on this date in 1989. Happy 24 Anniversary!!!

JULY 26: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Roger Taylor, drummer/singer/songwriter/producer of Queen, age 64

Darlene Love, age 72

Mick Jagger, singer/songwriter/producer The Rolling Stones/SuperHeavy/solo artist, age 70

"Tres Hombres" by ZZ Top was released on this date in 1973. Happy 40th Anniversary!!!

JULY 27: "Siamese Dream" by The Smashing Pumpkins was released on this date in 1993. Happy 20th Anniversary!!!

Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Juliana Hatfield, singer/songwriter/guitarist, age 46

Pete Yorn, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, age 39

"PURPLE RAIN" was released in movie theaters on this date in 1984.

IN MEMORIUM: Legendary singer/songwriter/guitarist J.J. Cale passed away at the age of 75 on this date in 2013. 

JULY 28: "Life's Rich Pageant" by R.E.M. was released on this date in 1986. Happy 27th Anniversary!!!

Richard Wright (deceased), singer/songwriter/keyboardist of Pink Floyd 

was born on this date in 1943.

JULY 29: "Help!" the second feature film starring The Beatles was released on this date in 1965.

Happy 60th Birthday to Geddy Lee, singer/songwriter/bassist/keyboardist of Rush!

JULY 30: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Buddy Guy, age 77

David Sanborn, age 68

Kate Bush, singer/songwriter/keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist/producer/video director, age 55

"In A Silent Way" by Miles Davis was released on this date in 1969. Happy 44th Anniversary!!

JULY 31: Happy Birthday to the following artists:

Daniel Ash, singer/songwriter/guitarist of Bauhaus, Love & Rockets, age 56

Stanley Jordan, guitarist/composer, age 54

Bill Berry, drummer/songwriter R.E.M., age 55

Fatboy Slim, age 50

"Mingus Plays Piano" by Charles Mingus was recorded on this date in 1963.

Watch this space for the musical milestones of August!