Feb 10/2025

What follows is Norman’s musical musings for the week of February 4 to 10. Happy listening to all and a good listen to all.

The Norman Luboff Choir – Songs of the British Isles

Songs of the British Isles is the first disc for this week’s listening enjoyment. It is a mellow chill album that Discogs calls folk world and country. It is folk for sure; no brainer on that genre, folks. The world is less certain, but The British Isles are part of this world, so that works. Country? Britain is a country, but this is not the country music I listen to, i.e. Corb Lund. It is about a country, Britain. It is a surprisingly enjoyable album I had forgotten about, but I am glad to rediscover it.

Keith Lyn – Keith Lyn Sings Love Ballads

Keith Lyn Sings Love Ballads is an interesting album from my father-in-law, who brought it here from Jamaica. This album is listed as folk and world music in Discogs; I would label it lounge music. Other than Keith Lyn’s obsession with time, there isn’t much to say about this record. I will cherish it because I had a good relationship with Pops.

The Luminaires – Cleopatra

I very clearly remember buying this album. A fellow vinyl lover tipped me off that a local clothing clearance store had boxes of records for sale dirt cheap. My brother was visiting from Vancouver, so the two of us jumped in my car, and off we went. They did have records for sale; the problem was the lack of titles that I would buy. I did find this Luminaires album with a 4.99 price tag; it came home with me. There is something about the plaintive voice of Wesley Schultz and the intimacy of the songs that pull me into the music of the Luminaires.

I have only listened to two Luminaires albums, Cleopatra and III, but my oh my, what a pair they make. Cleopatra is not a story album. However, the band took five songs from this album and created a video. The Ballad of Cleopatra is a compilation of the story in the music videos for Ophelia, Cleopatra, Sleep on the Floor, Angela and My Eyes, all songs from the album Cleopatra.

The music in this album is subtle; it doesn’t slap you in the face, but if you listen to it, there is a strength therein that augments the lyrics. I can not casually listen to these two albums. They demand that I pay attention. I listen to the music; what is it saying? What instruments are playing? How does the music work with the lyrics? Etc. I can not casually listen to Luminaire’s albums. They are top-notch listening experiences for me. They have good lyrics that move beyond the tragic love trilogy, love found, love lives, and love lost. There are stories in these songs. Some of the stories are self-contained. Some of the stories spill out and mingle with other songs. i.e. The Ballad of Cleopatra. Other songs support the cohesion of the album. I like this album, but not as much as I like their next release, III.

The third album from the Luminaire’s is the tale of three members of a dysfunctional family struggling with addiction. I struggled with addiction for many years of my life. My Dad and extended family on both sides lived in addictive lives. I was clean and sober for 15 years, and then, for my 16th birthday, I got blind drunk and maintained that pace for 20 years. And then, on May 11th, 1989, a date seared into the fabric of my soul, I quit drinking and drugging. That went amazingly smoothly; however, it was a brutal fight to quit smoking, but that eventually happened and stuck. I still drink coffee. I say all that to show how this album speaks to me on multiple levels.

The songs are often difficult pills to swallow as they tell the stories of this family and the addition that flows generational. The album was supported by a 44-minute visual accompaniment written by Schultz with director Kevin Phillips. The film follows three generations of the working-class Sparks family as they struggle with addiction and dysfunction in the Northeastern United States. The third album from the Luminaire’s III, is a powerful album; I recommend it with five out of five stars. It is well-scripted, well-played and well-told. I add a special invite to this album for anyone struggling with addiction, be it a family member or yourself, clean or sober. While I doubt it will trigger a relapse, it undoubtedly carries a strong message about addiction and how it flows from one generation to the next. My favourite line from this album comes in the first song, Donna: “Your mother never was one.”

That brings us to the end of the letter L in our journey through the vinyl world of Norman. Next up is, it goes without saying, is the letter M. If it goes without saying why did I say it? I look forward to some exciting music in the M catalogue.

But first, we have some new music that I just scored.

Gram Parsons GP/Grievous Angel

I heard this playing in Record Collectors Paradise and liked it so much I bought it. I played it through when I got home, but it will need another listen to soak in some of the nuances because a lot is happening between the grooves.

Humble Pie – Rockin’ The Fillmore

I must have bought this album in the late 1970s, and one song off the album seared a memory node in my skull. That song is Walk On Gilded Splinters.

“I Walk on Gilded Splinters,” originally written and recorded by Dr. John, is often interpreted as walking on something seemingly beautiful or valuable on the surface but is actually painful and dangerous, like walking on sharp pieces of gold; it’s a metaphor for navigating a treacherous situation that appears glamorous or alluring on the outside, with the “gilded splinters” representing hidden dangers or pitfalls. Walking on gilded splinters can be seen as navigating a life where external appearances can be deceiving, and one must be careful not to be fooled by superficial beauty.

I don’t know why I remembered this song from a two-disc set. I just now listened to the whole album; it is decent music. But, it is not an album I will be pulling out to listen to frequently, but occasionally, when the gilded splinters poke me as I walk over them.

Mad At The World – Mad at the World

Mad at the World is Christian synth-pop from 1987, it should have stayed there. I liked the cover art more than the music.

Taj Mahal – The Real Thing

I can remember the first time I listened to this album. Clear as a bell, I will share the back story if you don’t mind. It was about 1980, and I had just arrived in Edmonton to start a new job. I got the job, but I needed a place to crash until I had enough money to rent my own place. I stayed (overstaying?) with my cousin and his wife. I had left most of my belongings at my parent’s in Red Deer, including my albums and stereo. So I bought a cheap portable record player, a small suitcase type, and a set of cheap headphones. I cut the speaker wires in the player, cut the plug end off of the headphones and spliced the wires together so I could listen to music without bothering anyone else. Or so I thought. It was Friday, and I had retired to my bedroom with a dozen beer and a couple of new records.

I was into the box several beers and listening to one of the new albums, The Real Thing by Taj Mahal, when I heard some shouting. It came from my cousin’s wife. She was ranting about how the scratching noise from my record player was driving her crazy, and she wanted me to move out ASAP! I then heard her bedroom door close with a mighty slam. I was shocked by how good her hearing must be to hear the noise that a record needle makes without any amplification. I lifted said needle out of the groove and pondered the situation. While I was pondering, I had to take a whiz, I never did have a good bladder. As I walked back to my bedroom, my cousin’s wife’s best friend, who had been visiting, asked me if she could talk to me. She was attractive, and I had enough beer in me to lower my inhibitions, so I complied. She then told me that I had to move out because my cousin and his wife wanted the room I was in for the baby that they were expecting. I told her this was news to me, but I was ok with that and told her I would move out by the end of the month when I got paid. And that is how I came to have Taj Mahal’s album, The Real Thing, seared into my memory.

I listened to some other Taj Mahal albums this week. My favourite is Recycling the Blues & Other Related Stuff, but they were all a good listen.

I was shocked to realize how long it had been since his albums had graced my turntable. I really must try to visit some of these albums more frequently.

I know what the problem is. When I had 50, or even a hundred albums, I would flip through them trying to find something to listen to, and my fingers would alight upon Recycling the Blues & Other Related Stuff, and I would listen to it. I now have about 1500 vinyl albums and don’t flip through them, so I embarked on my quest to listen to every album, starting with ABBA. I am just getting into M this week, so it was a pleasure to listen to my humble collection of Taj Mahal records.

I also realized that all of my Taj Mahal records are from the first 6 years of his recording career, from 1968 to 1974, and I do not have any of his CDs. Weird!

Taj Mahal The Real Thing