I worked 10:30 – 9:00 today, and I’m working 9:00 – 9:00 tomorrow. I don’t have another off day until Wednesday. Tomorrow after closing I have to drive all over town to pick up my visiting family member, who is here in town for a full week. It feels like it’s going to be a long time before I can sit down and focus on the blog again. At least, to the extent where I feel like I’m putting a good amount of effort into a post (or series of posts). Thanks for understanding, guys.
Notice I say guys because girls don’t read this website. The male-to-female ratio here is on par with a Shellac concert or a strip club.
Tonight’s entry — the final installment of this week’s “Covers! Covers! Covers!” theme — is an album about which I have no information. There’s one Google result for a website called LP Junkie but the page is blank. So all I have to work with is the typed letter that comes with the album and the music itself. The letter says, “Well here it is! For better or worse, this timeless piece of musical craft is the accumulation of many years of obsessive indulgence, hunger, and psychological counseling. I am indeed much indebted to many of the world’s saloons, cantinas, dram shops and lounges, without whose existence I would have never met the many romantic cavaliers who contributed their time and energy to my now realized dreams.” Then there’s a bunch of thank yous to different people. And the reverse side of the cover has some very brief descriptions of the songs on this album…which, honestly, I don’t even know what it’s called. Is it just called Harominca? Is it called Country Blues Rock & Jazz Harmonica? Is it self-titled? Who the fuck knows! All I really know is that “Walkin’ Blues” is a Robert Johnson cover so that makes it eligible for inclusion in this week’s An Album A Day series.
Side one is kind of country and blues song, but on side two there are some very weird and unique moments that make the record special. “Turkey Train” and its harp solo are noteworthy. Hell, most of the harp parts on this record are unusually cool. And the harmonica styles are varied throughout, which make for some bonkers compositions. The artist defines the three songs most representative of his style to be “Impro In A”, “Turkey Train” and “The Good Wine, The Good Music and Me”.
As always, any information someone can share with me about this album would be most appreciated. It was recorded here in California (Universal City, to be more accurate), there’s a song called Hollywood, reference to “The Jambalaya” (is/was that in the LA area?). I don’t know, it sounds like Rex was a cool (read: drunk) dude. It’d be great to learn more about him.
Rex Johnson
Harmonica
Custom Recorders – CR3513, 19??)
A1. Singin’ The Blues
A2. Impro In A
A3. Hollywood
A4. Walkin’ Blues [Robert Johnson] [MP3]
A5. Walkin’ Mule Blues
A6. Marching Harps
B1. Way Back Home
B2. Turkey Train [MP3]
B3. E Improvisation
B4. The Good Wine, Good Music & Me
B5. Sugar Foot Rag
B6. Tahoe
