I remember seeing Guadalcanal Diary albums filed in a section of Jelly’s Books and Music reserved for “modern rock”, the precursor of “alternative rock” that would distinguish itself from “classic rock”. I wouldn’t explore the band’s albums till nearly 30 years later. Of their four albums released in the ’80s, 2 x 4 is one of the two essentials, the other being Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man.
Perfume Genius, No Shape
I’ve stayed away from Perfume Genius because the 30-second samples I’d hear of various tracks made me conclude I’d be bored at full-length. No Shape garnered a lot of favorable press in 2018, and the thrift store price point convinced me to jump in. I’m glad I did.
Robert Palmer, Secrets
You should own this album for “Doctor, Doctor” alone, but like the rest of Palmer’s early output, this album is reliably funky.
SUPER JUNKY MONKEY, AIETOH
SUPER JUNKY MONKEY albums can get intense for their length, so this four-track EP is the perfect encapsulation of the band. I grabbed this release from the Evil Sharing Networks in the early 2000s and pined for the day I could afford to order it from overseas. Nearly 20 years later, I would get it on Amazon Marketplace for under $5.
Toto, Hydra
Toto IV gets most of the accolades, and while Hydra didn’t capture the mind share of its predecessor, it has some solid tracks, including one of my favorite Toto singlse, “99.”
I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.
This past weekend was the annual Big Book Sale by the Friends of the Seattle Public Library, so I should have enough music to last me for weeks, right? Right.
Catalog
CDs
Anita Baker, Giving You the Best That I Got
Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
Victor Borge, Live(!)
Glenn Branca, Symphony No. 2: Peak of the Sacred
Cameo, Word Up!
Capercaillie, Secret People
John Coltrane, Giant Steps
John Coltrane, Meditations
John Coltrane, My Favorite Things
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
Eazy-E, Eazy-Duz-It
Bill Evans Trio, Waltz for Debby
Fugazi, End Hits
Peter Gabriel, Shaking the Tree
Guns N’ Roses, G N’ R Lies
Heart, Bad Animals
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced?
Ketsumeshi, Ketsunopolis 4
LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out
Milt Jackson and John Coltrane, Bags and Trane
Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark
Morrissey, The Best of Morrissey
Mother Love Bone, Mother Love Bone
Nirvana, Incesticide
Robert Palmer, Clues
Prince, Musicology
R.E.M., Dead Letter Office
Radiohead, The Bends
Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
Einojuhani Rautvaara, Symphony No. 7: Angel of Light / Annunciations
My introduction to Robert Palmer was through Duran Duran.
I had heard “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” and “Bad Case of Lovin’ You”, but I never knew who sang those songs till Palmer became the front man for the Power Station. At the age of 13, I started to discover it was guys like Palmer, Sting and Roger Taylor (Duran Duran, not Queen) who were stirring something in me. It wasn’t Madonna or the barely-clad Mary Jane Girls.
The Power Station music videos put him in near profile, and he cut a striking one. I found him handsome. Not hot in the teenaged girl parlance, but attractive all the same.
Of course, that meant I wanted to see him without a shirt.
Some of his previous albums came close. There was Double Fun:
OK. Bare shoulders. Where are the nipples? Perhaps on Secrets?
Thwarted! Cropped right before. What about Pride?
Illustration does not substitute for a photo. Also, the armor is in the way.
Perhaps the most frustrating cover is Riptide. There’s enough bare shoulder in the picture to hint that he may be missing a shirt. The sheet music song book for the album included the edge of said bare shoulder.
Even today, the tease of this cover confounds me. Why, Mr. Palmer, must you hint but not reveal?
Well, it’s because Robert Palmer was a dapper gentleman. He parlayed the success of the Power Station into Riptide, donning on suits in his music videos and garnering accolades as the best dressed man in rock music. If your image hinges on dressing well, there’s little point in undressing in public.
What makes me so eager to see a full-body shot of the Riptide cover stems from where Palmer was at that point in his life. In 1986, he would have been 37, too old to be considered a pop idol but young enough for his prime. The crow’s feet around his eyes lend just enough dignity to make his smile seductive. How is this cover not hot?
Every time I encounter Riptide when I flip through the vinyl bins, I keep thinking, “Dude. You are such a tease.”
![[Toto - Hydra]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/TotoHydra1979203071_f.jpeg)
![[Jason Isbell and 400 Unit - Live from the Ryman]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/JasonIsbell400UnitLive196779PY5H_f-300x300.jpg)
![[Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ParquetCourtsWideAwake191304_f-300x268.jpg)
![[Roxy Music - Avalon]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/RoxyMusicAvalon1983180628_f-300x300.jpg)
![[Tracey Thorn - Record]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/tracey-thorn-record-300x300.jpg)
![[My Bloody Valentine - Loveless]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/my-bloody-valentine-loveless-300x300.png)
![[Robert Palmer - Riptide]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/RobertPalmerRiptide-300x300.jpg)
![[Robert Palmer - Double Fun]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/RobertPalmerDoubleFun.jpg)
![[Robert Palmer - Pride]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/RobertPalmerPride.jpg)