Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song
    • Advertise
October 17, 2013 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 1258

V/A,  Negro Spirituals (1961)
Brown negro lpFor the longest time I had no idea what this record was – in that the cover was clearly an inlay only, not the main front cover. It was my grandfather’s records and it used to spook me out a bit as a little kid, but I loved it. And then I inherited it and it’s always been a favourite but it’s been in the “unknown” pile I guess. I kinda liked that I couldn’t find much out about it. You don’t really need to know much – you just take a listen: my god, it’s captivating and frightening and inspiring and unforgettable. Anyway, I’ve since found out – I’m pretty sure – that it’s the record I’ve linked to – from 1961. And I think the real cover is the one down here in the bottom right, but I’ve photographed what I live with as the cover (top left) to give you an idea of the state of it; of what I had to work with. Sometimes these sorts of curios are my favourite records. The music on this is wonderful too. That’s really the selling point. It was from hearing this that I started to check out other work-songs and gospel and show-tunes and field-hollers; this record seems to be a mixture of all of those things all in one. Powerful, brilliant, beautiful stuff. And I’m lucky to have this record. It means a lot to me, perhaps mostly because my grandfather was an odd chap, he never talked about music. He listened to music a lot. But never spoke about it, never shared it with anyone. And he never had anything else like this record in his collection – the rest of it was Foster and Allen and loads of classical music. Some ghastly stuff all up, and some Negro Spiritualswonderful stuff. But I know he listened to this record a lot. I think that’s why I made the effort with it.

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown

Posted in The Vinyl Countdown and tagged with LP, Negro Spirituals, Vinyl. RSS 2.0 feed.
« Anthonie Tonnon: Live At The Inch Bar (13.11.12)
Great Kiwi Albums You Must Revisit: #2 The Sound of Trees »

Popular

  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • Sweetman Podcast # 247: Talia Marshall
  • Poem: Dear Ngā Mihi,
  • Revisiting Live at Knebworth (1990)
  • Willie Nelson: That’s Life
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 11 – Lindsey Buckingham
  • R.I.P. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
  • Neil Peart Was The World’s Most Overrated Drummer

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Jon Mcleary Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spines Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Ghost of Electricity The Spines The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2021 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press