Picked this record up today because it was an integrated band in the mid 70's on a label from none other than Waco, TX, my hometown. Well a little googling revealed that Andrae Crouch and the Disciples weren't in fact from Waco, and weren't nearly as obscure as I had hoped. In fact, if I had looked a little closer I would have noticed Billy Preston and Larry Carlton both lent their hands to the record in the studio (which was actually in Hollywood.) Andrae is the brother of Stanley Crouch, famed jazz critic and notorious denouncer of Miles' electric period as well as hip hop in general. (I have a bit of an antagonistic take on the man.)

But Light Records, a joint venture with fellow Waco label Word Records, was a Waco label that specialized in early pop influenced gospel music. Word eventually sold to ABC and moved to Nashville, now boasting artists like Amy Grant on their roster. That's about as white as you can go after beginning as a soul inflected black gospel label. After going defunkt in the 80's, Light was resurrected as a modern gospel label that still exists.

Guess what's finally back in print, remastered, and expanded. Nina Simone Sings The Blues. This record sat on my wish list for over a year before I scratched it out figuring I wouldn't see it anytime soon. I actually found it that very afternoon in the discount bin in Waterloo. There's so much humor and sensuality in Nina's voice, and the just under two minute long "Buck" is about the funkiest track ever recorded. Everyone needs this.

Check out Living With Music.com. This website is my newest first stop when I'm looking to waste time. It has comprehensive reviews of a whole range of storage options for every form of media imaginable. Not included in the reviews is Boltz, my personal favorite storage system. But I've already demonstrated my love for them by posting a photo of my own unit several entry's below.

Yeah, so this would be the ultimate goal. I don't even need a kitchen or anything, just give me this room, a stereo, and a matress.

A personal tour of Questlove's infamous 'Record Room'

 

Vinyl is a fairly new obsession, but I spent the better part of college in used record store basements digging up obscurities and imports. This looks like the beginning of something promising until you see Questlove in his library. Note the ever expanding Miles Davis section second shelf top left. He's the only artist who gets his own category in the filing system. My most exciting find lately was a pair of James Blood Ulmer albums from early 80's New York loft scene albums.

These went out of print in the mid 90's and will run anywhere from $25 to $60 on Ebay or Gemm. I picked them up separately used at Waterloo Records for $9 apiece. Still missing 'Tales of Captain Black' though, that's the record that got me started digging for these.