By Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald
Those people who run and push and scream for Black Friday deals are out of control! Oh, wait, they are running and pushing and screaming for records? Never mind, that’s fine.
Another Record Store Day Black Friday is upon us. Here are some exclusives and timed releases to make you shriek like a teenager at the height of Beatlemania.
“Mindsets,” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
How do you like your Joan Jett? Live and raw or recorded and raw? Both! Fabulous answer. “Mindsets” shows off six new cuts and six live takes on the tracks. The showstopper might be “If You’re Blue.” The lead cut sits halfway between punk and rock ‘n’ roll. In other words, it’s signature Jett. The rest all measure up to that same standard.
“The Master,” Chico Hamilton
This could be considered one the greatest jazz albums ever made, if it was jazz. Sorry, if it was just jazz. Legendary jazz drummer Chico Hamilton went into the studio in 1973 with the core of rock band Little Feat — guitarists Lowell George and Paul Barrere, keyboardist Bill Payne, bassist Kenny Gradney, and percussionist Sam Clayton. The results were Southern boogie and New York boogaloo, funk grooves and fusion excursions. Truly a magical moment with Hamilton’s drums sitting between George’s slippy, squealing slide guitar and Payne’s keys, which swing from hard pop piano to soul jazz organ. Bonus, the 50th anniversary edition is limited to 4,000 copies of purple marble 180-gram vinyl.
“Gett Off,” Prince
A recreation of the 1991 12’’ version of “Gett Off” delivered only to DJs that let the New Power Generation let loose on the world, the release of this nearly endless jam has one flaw: It is only nearly endless. When Prince celebrated his 33rd birthday with this “club mix” he let the music ooze from vinyl to ears for eight and half minutes. The epic track bumps, grinds, moans, coos, shouts, and screams like James Brown on ecstasy with a dash of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix. It might be the only eight and half minute song that’s way too short.
“Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Tina Turner
Tina’s first single without Ike was a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” It has a vibe like Robert-Plant-meets-Shaft, that is to say, it’s simply awesome. But it went nowhere. Tina was the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll and nobody knew it. Thankfully, the world knows it now. Celebrating 50 years of Tina’s solo career, this 5-LP box set compiles all her 55 singles, pulling from many long out of print albums. The hits are immortal, and great to hear in chronological order — “What’s Love Got To Do With It” into “Better Be Good To Me” into “Private Dancer,” wow! But the obscure stuff is the real treasure. There’s an entire side of her forgotten ’70s nuggets (start with the Stax-plus-Seeger stomp of “Root, Toot Undisputable Rock’n Roller”) that fit right in with thumpers like Bryan Adams’ duet “It’s Only Love” and epic live cuts – “Addicted to Love” is an absolute rave up.