Great Find - Record Store Day

So, since it's Record Store Day, the Lady of the Manor and I sauntered on down to the ol' Recycled Records to peruse the various music on vinyl, tape and CD.

Three hours and $50 later, I'm happy to report success.

First up, two discs of Professor Longhair.  "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" and "Blues Originals, Vol. 2 - Professor Longhair: New Orleans Piano" compile many of the piano greats recordings from the 40's and 50's, with little overlap on the discs.


"Blues Originals, Vol. 3 - Texas Guitar from Dallas to L.A." contains sides by T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim and Al King.

Next, a 2-disc set of interviews conducted by the late, great Studs Terkel for the book "Hard Times"






Lastly, another 2-disc set, this time of Alan Lomax's Louisiana Recordings from 1934.






Remember, you can make every day a Record Store Day.  Patronize your local record store (if you still have one in your town, city or municipality) where you'll get to hang around other music weirdos and maybe discover new tunes.

Great Find - The Wine Bible

I am a library lover.  I am fortunate enough to live in a place with a great public library and, thanks to this being the prairie capital, also the state library.

Thanks to access to these great places of learning, I have come across a lot of great music, a lot of wonderful films and a multitude of great books.

One of those is "The Wine Bible" by Karen MacNeil.

Written as almost a text book, it is divided into sections on wine basics, various wine regions and the products they have.

Having said that, you shouldn't be afraid of it.

Even though I look at it as a text book, it is written without pretension and is easily accessible.

I liked it so much, I went to my local chain bookstore to pick up a copy and it has proven to be a great find.

Great Find - 5 Record Set of Louisiana Cajun Music

Here in the Prairie Capital, if you are looking for good obscure vinyl, you go to Recycled Records.

When you first walk in the door, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the artifacts and ephemera contained in the store.

But, if you go to the back and look up, you will see a sign that states....

"Stairway to Heaven"

Don't be scared of the rickety staircase and go on up to find one of the biggest vinyl collections on the prairie.

It was there that, recently, I came across this five record set of historic cajun tunes.

5 record set of "Louisiana Cajun Music"
from Old-Timey Records
purchased at Recycled Records in Springfield, Illinois

With great tunes from legends such as Joe Falcon, Cleoma Breaux, Harry Choates and the Hackberry Ramblers, this definitely qualifies as a great find.