blues rock Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Samantha Fish “Paper Doll”

sfilzen — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 18:21:37 +0000

Samantha Fish “Paper Doll” 2025. Rounder Records, signed & on clear smoky vinyl. We picked up the hard rocking (and country twinged) blues musician’s latest LP this past Friday night at Turner Hall. While she was the headliner, we were mostly there for Jon Spencer, who along with R.L. Burnside’s grandson, Cedric Burnside, performed the first night of their Shake ‘Em on Down tour. From Kansas City, Missouri, Fish has been writing, recording and performing for about 15 years; I’m not even sure what number of LP release Paper Dolls is as she has a pretty impressive discography which includes collaborations as well as solo live and recorded records. Like her performance, Paper Dolls is dynamic with a balanced mix of hard rock, blues and country (so occasionally veering into rockabilly territory). Up til Friday evening I wasn’t really aware of her so I have no idea which tracks she performed at the show (she did introduce some as from the LP but I didn’t know the tracks enough for them to register). An incredibly talented guitar player, her work shines on all of the tracks but my favorites are the real rockers: the opener “I’m Done Runnin’,” “Lose You” with some really excellent country slide, the spacey/stoner bluesy “Fortune Teller,” the hard rocking “Rusty Razor” that features Mick Collins (The Gories, The Dirtbombs) on vocals and the title track “Paper Doll” which I actually do remember her playing – it’s a total stomper: epic, anthemic and awesome.

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The Black Keys “No Rain No Flowers”

sfilzen — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 17:56:47 +0000

The Black Keys “No Rain No Flowers” releases tomorrow, August 8th, 2025. Limited edition blue vinyl, so fresh that I left the shrink wrap on after grabbing it from our mailbox about an hour ago. So new that most of the tracks aren’t available to stream yet on Spotify or YouTube. This is clearly my first listen so my written observations are happening in real time. It’s way more slick-indie and shimmery, less rocking and raw than their earlier material – this is their 13th studio LP. According to a review from another pre-release source, The Black Keys employed songwriters for this album, including “Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves) [who] helps to buff up the grimy rock of ‘The Night Before,’ Rick Nowels (Lana Del Rey) [who] adds a coat of radio gloss to the dreamy title track [‘No Rain No Flowers‘] and The Roots/ Dr. Dre keyboard player [and hip hop producer] Scott Storch [who] colours ‘Babygirl‘ with tasteful piano and organ.” There’s some 80’s style blue-eyed soul flavoring (think Joe Jackson, Hall & Oates, etc.) sprinkled throughout the smooth pop like on “Make You Mine;” it’s a great song but if I heard it in the wild there are zero chances I would have guessed it was the Keys. As another reviewer from Pitchfork notes, songs like ‘On Repeat‘ and ‘Kiss It’ float along to hooks that feel excavated from the golden age of AM radio.” And on “All My Life” they kinda go straight-up disco (it’s fun!). My top track is the buzzy, fuzzy, NOT poppy dark-edged ass-shaking “Man on a Mission” which does sound like band. I also like the jangle rocker “A Little Too High” and the aforementioned “The Night Before.” Overall: I certainly don’t mind bands changing, evolving, especially ones that have been around as long as The Black Keys have, but I’m not sure about the general direction this record is taking them in.

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Jethro Tull “This Was”

sfilzen — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:35:19 +0000

Jethro Tull “This Was” 1968. The debut record from blues rock, jazz-flute enthusiast prog-rockers. I’m a casual Tull fan (to the chagrin of some in our household) but I’m more familiar with their more popular 70’s releases (Aqualung and Songs from the Wood are two favorites). This was (pun totally intended) my first listen to their well-received debut (it hit #10 in the UK and went to #62 in the US) and it’s….background music. Not enough rock, way too much jazz for my tastes, though there is some pretty classic blues (filtered through the lens of British white guys) like the track “It’s Breaking Me Up” and I do like the vaguely exotic instrumental “Dharma for One” – a great beat and a super- impressive drum solo (from Wiki “This song featured the “claghorn,” a hybrid instrument invented by Tull’s Jeffrey Hammond which combined the body of a recorder, the bell of a toy trumpet and the mouthpiece of a saxophone. Anderson also claims to have invented the instrument.” Tull’s rendition of the traditional blues instrumental “Cat’s Squirrel” highlights impressive guitar musicianship and is pretty good, too. The sole single release, “A Song for Jeffrey” did not chart in the UK; it was the b-side to the US single release of “Love Story.” A fun nugget: “The song was performed on the Rolling Stones Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus in December 1968…This was the only Tull performance with guitarist Tony Iommi during his two-week tenure with the band.” (I did not know Iommi was in Tull!) It is pretty good – like Zeppelin…with jazz flute.

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Them “Them (Historia de la Musica Rock)”

sfilzen — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 19:39:54 +0000

Them “Them (Historia de la Musica Rock)” 1982. No. 45 in the Spanish Historia de la Musica Rock, sold as a companion to a rock encyclopedia in the early 80s, one release every week, for about two years. Joe was in Spain last week and picked up this comp (on Decca): most of the tracks were hits, or at least are super-familiar (and loved) to me – one of my favorites is “Gloria” (spectacularly covered by Patti Smith in ’75), written by Van Morrison and recorded by Them in ’64. It originally was the b-side to another Them great (also on this comp), “Baby Please Don’t Go” (a traditional American blues song, popularized with Big Joe Williams‘ recording in 1935). “Gloria” is considered one of the greatest singles of all-time and received a Grammy Hall of Fame award in ’99. It would appear on Them’s first LP The Angry Young Them (1965). Both tracks are garagey, rocking. Other garage-rock tracks (my preference) on the comp are the rockabilly-leaning “Don’t Start Crying Now” (1964) and the wild, harmonica-forward “Mystic Eyes” (also written by Morrison and appeared on their first LP, #33 US). Not as garagey but I also like the super-creepy and bluesy (and Byrds-esque) “I’m Gonna Dress in Black” (1965) as well as the more mellow 60’s pop (but still a bit garage) “Here Comes the Night” – written by Bert Berns – which was a hit for Them in ’65, going to #2 in the UK and to #24 in the US. “Turn On Your Love Light” has also has a 60’s pop feel – it’s a cover of Bobby Bland‘s 1961 r&B hit single (I am most familiar with Grateful Dead’s version, a song they played in concert frequently – in 1969 at Woodstock they played it for over 45 minutes). I’m not a big fan of Them’s cover of Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins “I Put a Spell On You” – they went loungey…plus it’s impossible make that song better than the original. But overall this record is a solid compilation of Them’s material before the band began its disintegration in ’66.

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Jamul “Jamul”

sfilzen — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 22:25:36 +0000

Jamul “Jamul” 1970. Lizard Records. Heavy blues rock from California. Today’s super-obscure pull is in honor of my Aunt Jeanie’s birthday today – she lives in Jamul, California, a smallish horse-country mountain town east of San Diego which has become increasing gentrified/urbanized over the years (some movie stars have built mansions on the hills). I’ve visited it a ton since ’93 when she started building her house on a mountainside and it’s changed a lot in 30 years, much less 50. I doubt this tavern where the photo on the back of the Jamul LP cover still exists – in 1970 it was the only bar in town, per an interview with Steve Williams (Harmonica / Vocals), but if it does I have a pretty good idea where, probably in the little “strip mall” (it’s not really) where there’s a small grocery/produce stand (or was the last time we there).

“Jamul” back cover

Jamul was the band’s only release. According to the Williams interview (there’s not much other info out there), they began as a cover band — at least a couple of those covers made it onto this release including the opener (and one of the better tracks) “Tobacco Road,” a pretty good rendition of “Long Tall Sally” and a downer vaguely country-blues version of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” There’s a few originals as well. I want to like it because of the title: “Sunrise Over Jamul” but it’s kinda messy – way too many elements mashed together without a lot of cohesion (piano, harmonica, blues guitar, growly white guy bluesy vocals, etc), “Movin’ to the Country” (this one is good ol’ 70’s mellow gold but there’s some decent harmonica sprinkled in) and probably one of the best tracks (besides “Tobacco Road”) “I Can’t Complain” which has a great groove and hook. Overall it’s very 70’s California – a bit of wild, dusty grit with some addled psych and hard blues. Jamul’s biggest claim to fame in their short career was backing Little Richard in 1970 which you can see here, along with their “video” for “Tobacco Road.”

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The Pack A.D. “Tintype”

sfilzen — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 15:05:27 +0000

The Pack A.D. “Tintype” 2007/2018 (limited edition reissue). 13 MC Music/Mint Records. Two-piece bluesy garage rock from Vancouver, Canada. I really love Pack A.D. – during the pandemic they had a decent sale of their back catalog via their Bandcamp and I scooped up several LP’s, including this one, that I’m just now getting around to listening to. Tintype is Pack A.D.’s debut LP and waaaayyy sparser than their most recent material. According to the reissue’s liner notes (written by Maya Miller, drums), she and guitarist/singer Becky Black had only been practicing together for a few months when they were asked to perform at a BBQ where they met someone wanting to record their album (13 MC Music = self-released) even though they had nothing prepared for either the BBQ or a record, so they did…as Maya quotes (and agrees with) a reviewer they “shrugged themselves into existence.”

Tintype has an early Black Keys/White Stripes vibe in that it’s aughts-era blues/garage rock played by just two musicians that can make a lot of noise. But it’s refreshingly female: Becky’s voice goes from soaring to growling in one line of lyric (“What’s Up There” – a tiny little track that punches hard) and swims in emotion (the slow-burn “Bang“). She has stated that Billie Holiday is a major influence and that shows in the best way. Despite the liner notes’ insistence that they barely knew how to play their instruments, Becky’s blues guitar is simple, classic and perfect; Maya’s drums are at times crashing and at others the lightest of touch (sometimes just a triangle. The whole song). Not surprisingly, my top tracks are the big-(blues)rockers: the album opener “Gold Rush,” the absolutely wild “This Terror,” and “Stray.”

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ZZ Top “Eliminator”

sfilzen — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:14:58 +0000

ZZ Top “Eliminator” released 40 years ago today, March 23rd, 1983. Definitely one of the soundtracks to my middle school, MTV-obsessed years – and I still love it! It’s ZZ Top’s eighth studio LP and their biggest selling album; it went to #9 in the US and to #3 in the UK; its tracks continue to be played to this day on classic rock stations everywhere and it’s considered one of the best records of all-time. Eliminator found the blues-based rock band incorporating the 80’s synth sound into their recordings and while some of their fans were horrified, the mix of blues and modern keyboards clearly worked. That, and their clever story-lined videos that were played nonstop on MTV throughout ’83 and ’84. One reviewer, writing 20 years after its release stated “ZZ Top had found the potent combination that would bring them into the eighties and their era of greatest commercial triumph: raunchy guitar sounds coupled with the pounding drive and unrelenting sex machine rhythmic precision of electronic dance music and synth pop” and converted teens – and, for the first time, girls (👋) – into listeners (and buyers).

My top tracks are of course the hits that are still embedded into my 80’s DNA. “Gimme All Your Lovin,” the first single, went to #37 in the US and to #10 in the UK. It’s the first time we see Eliminator car and its trio of Playboy model/actresses in the video which the MTV generation would get to see in the following singles videos. The second single from Eliminator is another favorite, “Sharp Dressed Man.” It hit #56 in the US (I feel like it was more popular than that) and #22 in the UK. Its video had the same director as “Gimme All Your Lovin,” Tim Newman, and continues the storyline with the three women giving the Eliminator car keys to a remade valet, who indeed becomes sharply dressed. “Legs” completed the trilogy and is my hands-down favorite of the three tracks. It also went the highest on the charts, going to #8 in the US (and to #16 in the UK). In the video the hot ladies turn their sights onto giving a mousy young woman a makeover. I 100% wanted to wear little white socks with lace and heels after seeing that video (but at 12 years old I think the line was drawn at high heels but I’m pretty sure I got the lacy ankle socks). The “Legs” video won the MTV award for Best Group video in 1984. There was another single released, “TV Dinners,” but I don’t remember that one from my childhood. It didn’t hit the main charts in the US but made it to #38 on the Top Tracks chart and to #67 in the UK. Non-single songs that are also great: the hard-rocking “I Got the Six” and “Dirty Dog.”

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Lynyrd Skynyrd “(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd)”

sfilzen — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:27:24 +0000

Lynyrd Skynyrd “(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd)” 1973. Today’s spin of their debut LP in commemoration of Gary Rossington’s death yesterday, March 5th 2023, at age 71. He was the last remaining founding member of the band, having survived the infamous plane crash of ’77 that killed fellow bandmates Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines. (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) went to #27 in the US and is still ubiquitous on classic rock stations 50 years on. The album includes some of the era’s most recognizable southern-fried blues rock songs: “Tuesday’s Gone,” “Gimme Three Steps,” and, of course, the ultimate arena rock ballad, “Free Bird.” “Free Bird” is still considered one of the best rock songs of all-time; it went to #19 in ’74 (when it was released as a single) and then charted again after the plane crash. It’s also the longest running joke in rock history (I’m assuming anyway), its name still screamed out by audience members at shows regardless of the band or style on stage. I’m pretty ambivalent about Skynyrd in general, but there’s no denying the anthemic appeal of (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) and its influence on the rock genre.

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Aerosmith “Aerosmith”

sfilzen — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 19:24:44 +0000

Aerosmith “Aerosmith” released 50 years ago today, January 5th, 1973. Aerosmith’s debut s/t record. Our copy certainly looks about 50 years old but it is not the first pressing (the song “Walkin’ the Dog” – originally by Rufus Thomas in ’63 – was misprinted as “Walkin’ the Dig” on the first pressings and ours is correctly printed). It is most likely a second pressing since it has the original cover art. The third pressings of Aerosmith after the success “Dream On” had bigger photograph of the band with the text “Featuring ‘Dream On'” on the cover. The single “Dream On” was first released in 1973 and went to #59 (though it was huge in the local Boston market) but then went to #6 in 1976 in its edited down form. That track is really the only song I know from this record, and it’s the only song that actually sounds like Steven Tyler. The rest have his voice really subdued. From Tyler’s autobiography via Wiki: “”The band was very uptight. We were so nervous that when the red recording light came on we froze. We were scared shitless. I changed my voice into the Muppet, Kermit the Frog, to sound more like a blues singer.” “One Way Street” has some glimpse into Tyler’s true range and shriek, and the track “Movin’ Out” is a really great gritty blues rocker, but the rest of the record is kind of meh.

Aerosmith took a few years to really gain traction. It received mostly negative reviews, from those who bothered to review it, upon its release in ’73. After “Dream On” the album went to #21 and since has gone well over double platinum.

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Dr. Feelgood “Malpractice”

sfilzen — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 17:36:12 +0000

Dr. Feelgood “Malpractice” 1975. Bluesy pub-rock with lots of harmonica, today’s spin for Dr. Feelgood’s guitarist and songwriter Wilko Johnson who died last week on November 21st. Malpractice was their second LP; it went to #17 in the UK. This style of gritty 70’s rock isn’t my usual fare so this is actually my first-ever listen to the album though it’s probably been in our collection for years. There’s a few covers including the Delta blues standard “Rolling and Tumbling” first recorded by Hambone Willien Newbern and later, more famously, recorded by both Muddy Waters and Cream; “Watch Your Step” which was a hit for Bobby Parker in ’61; and “Riot in Cell Block #9” written by Leiber and Stoller and recorded first by The Robins in ’54 and later by such artists as The Grateful Dead, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Cash and Flat Duo Jets. Most of the originals were mostly all or in part written by Wilko Johnson like the single “Back in the Night” (it failed to chart), “Because You’re Mine” (co-written by Nick Lowe and Sparks) and “You Shouldn’t Call the Doctor (If You Can’t Afford the Bills).”

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