Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Last week, the world was shocked to learn about the sudden death of one of the most successful pop musicians in history. Although he was beset by many problems during the last years of his life, Michael Jackson was clearly still a huge part of the lives of his fans, and continued to influence countless other musicians.

The Vinyl Resurrection Collection would like to honour the passing of Michael Jackson by featuring two of the biggest-selling albums of his career, Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987). So, if you're not one of the tens of millions of people who already owns these albums anyway, I invite you to take a step back into the 80s and enjoy these super-mega-hits all over again.

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Just like countless others, I could not get enough of Michael Jackson's biggest album of all time when it was released in 1982. At the time I was a young lad who was just starting to develop my own musical identity, and this was positively mesmerizing. Never before (and perhaps never again) had I seen such a captivating showman. I watched the revolutionary 14-minute video for the title track over and over and over again, while my brother and I managed to convince our parents to buy us a "Making of Thriller" video, which was also played innumerable times. Thriller went on to become the biggest-selling album of all time, and continues to hold this record to this day, with worldwide sales of over 100 million units. Truly a landmark album by a landmark talent.

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Despite phenomenal success and popularity in the mid-80s, the follow-up album to Thriller did not come until five years later, with 1987's Bad. Although it has not sold as many units as its predecessor ("only" about 30 million as opposed to over 100 million), it did have more chart hits - five out of the album's ten tracks became Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles, the first and currently the only album to ever achieve this number.

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We hope you find peace, Michael. We just can't stop loving you.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I got to be startin' somethin'.

We Miss You, George

A year ago today, the world said goodbye to George Carlin, a man considered by many, including myself, to be among the funniest people who ever lived. George Carlin was not just a comedian, he was also a wordsmith, philosopher, and observer (mostly a critic) of the human condition. After a career spanning nearly 50 years, he sadly died of heart failure on June 22, 2008, four days after it was announced that he was to be awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He was 71 years old.

To mark the one-year anniversary of his passing, this post features four of George Carlin's classic, "LP era" comedy albums - Class Clown (1972), Occupation: Foole (1973), On the Road (1977), and A Place For My Stuff (1981). These are from back in the day when if you wanted to listen to him, you had to actually get the album - or in my case, growing up in the 80s, the cassette tape - and not just look him up on YouTube.

Since these albums are now available in a modern-day format, I certainly don't wish to offend the Carlin family by offering these albums on my blog (for free), and if I do, I deeply apologize. I simply want more people to experience the magic of this man, a true comedy master.

Also, a warning is in order: You probably know this already, but if you don't, please keep in mind that George Carlin was not afraid to use "bad" words (indeed, "bad words" are the very basis of his classic "Seven Words You can Never Say On Television" routine, found on the "Class Clown" album), so keep this away from the kiddies and anyone with cuss-sensitive ears.

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Class Clown (1973) was George Carlin's third comedy album. It was with this album, particularly his famous "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" routine, that he started a shift from mainly clean, satirical material into more profanity-laced stuff dealing with topics such as religion, the Vietnam War, and various bodily functions.

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Occupation: Foole (1974) was the follow-up to 1973's Class Clown. The final track, "Filthy Words", is basically an "update" to his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" routine (after being reminded about several other words you can't say on TV). This is a good example of Carlin's propensity for developing and reworking routines over months or years. On the first part of the album, there is quite a bit of material about Carlin's upbringing in New York City.

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On The Road (1977) was George Carlin's seventh album, released a year before he suffered a heart attack and took some time off, not releasing another album until four years later.

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This album has been made possible through grants from the following organizations:

- The Institute For Yahtzee Theory
- The Society For The Preservation of Spanish Rice
- The Bank for People on Horseback
- The International House of Cream and Sugar
- The National Society of Total Peckerheads

Just a taste of the more bizarre and less politically-charged comedy you'll find on A Place For My Stuff (1981), Carlin's eighth comedy album. It is unique in that it consists of not just stand-up material - including one of his best-known routines, the titular "A Place For My Stuff" - but also some studio-recorded "announcements" that parody typical TV and radio commercials.


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We miss you you, Mr. Carlin ... but you're still making us laugh.

Music of the Stripper (and other fun songs for the family ...?)

I got this LP on a recent trip to Manitoba (among other LPs, which will be featured in future posts).

David Rose was a British-American songwriter and bandleader, perhaps best known for his composition "The Stripper", that trombone-driven piece used in countless cartoons, TV shows, and movies whenever a "sexy" situation comes up. This LP continues in the same tradition of sassy, "wah wah wah" orchestral music perfect for doing a dance to impress your gal or your guy. It's not overtly sexy by any means but it might just put that little extra spring in your step.