Vinyl Profiles with E.K.: The Cure: Happily Ever After

Today my husband Eric has written a post about...well, I think you will get some insight into my husband from this post and maybe learn a bit about a record in our collection... so without further ado, here's Eric.

 

Today’s profile is not just about a great vinyl record, but a journey through space and time. Our story begins with a young boy filled with wonder holding tightly to the promise of a better tomorrow. The small trooper was just leaving his tween years at the tender age of 12, but already he was becoming a man, perhaps a man child, but a man none-the-less. His travels had taken him to a mysterious relic of the past known as Tower Records located in the earliest foundations of New Orleans. Within the walls of this ancient tower was a book that held great power and wisdom. As the small child/young man clutched this manuscript in his hands he could feel the power running through his veins like a comet passing by the rings of Saturn. The boy dared not read the title out loud for he knew not of its powers but suspected it could bring harm to those not ready to receive its truth. He raced home as though he was being chased by goblins or phantoms. Once safely within his own private kingdom (technically speaking it was an apartment my sister was renting) the boy removed the book from his Tower Records bag and uttered the words quietly…”The Cure on record”… again, but louder and with more excitement, “THE CURE ON RECORD!!!” Just then lighting struck, thunder roared and the sky parted. What the boy did not know at the time was that by speaking those words aloud he had set in motion a series of events that are still revealing themselves to this day.

Feeling like he was soaring on the wings of a dragon, he began looking through the pages. They revealed image after image of every known vinyl record from a band placed by the gods on the English isles some years earlier. The fearless warrior studied the ancient text and knew then that it was his destiny to seek out the vinyl records documented within the pages of this musical scripture. 

 

And so it was, time did indeed pass and the boy grew into a healthy, strong, very handsome and charming young man. Nearly a decade had elapsed and the man was still seeking out the truth and knowledge of the sacred book. Then, one beautiful fall morning, amongst the woodland creatures of the Rocky Mountains, the fierce fighter found a highly sought after jewel hidden under a hipster dragon’s watchful eye. He held in his hand the record Happily Ever After by The Cure, released only in the supernatural realm of America, it contained not one, but two enchanting albums, Seventeen Seconds and Faith.

And so it was written in the chronicles of kings and the kings of kings, guaranteed to survive several millennia, that the man, once a boy, had found Happy Ever After and it was indeed good. Murals and monuments were created in his honor and the world was forever changed. 

All of which I have just revealed is not for the weak or weary. I ask that you use caution when passing on these ancient tales to your kin. Just as the elders predicted, the power of this story could reverse time and undo all the beauty of this earth if even a single word is uttered before the internal truth and wisdom has been bestowed upon the mind of the chosen prophet.  

So to sum up, the 1981 compilation Happily Ever After by The Cure took a long time to track down but was well worth the wait.

Vinyl Profiles with E.K. Tom Waits: Rain Dogs

Hello Everyone,
Eric is back for his third foray into our collection. Enjoy!
~Maria

Grab your umbrella, trashcan and flask for this edition of Vinyl Profiles with E.K. because we’re going to take a journey back in time. We’re headed to the early 1980s, New York City and everything feels like Tod Browning’s 1932 masterpiece Freaks  being performed by transients in a local junkyard. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the let’s take a look at the 1985 LP that guaranteed that one of California’s strangest sons would eventually end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One of Team Wimmer’s favorite records, the one and only Rain Dogs by Tom Waits. 

Rain Dogs was part of a legendary one/two punch by America’s gritty cult icon Tom Waits. The first punch came with Swordfishtrombones (1983) which has been considered by many as one of the most dramatic shifts in sound by any musician ever. Gone were the days of jazzy lounge sounds from a seedy bar; they were now replaced by the howls and grunts of a man that sounded like an escaped lunatic turned carney using trashcans and car parts as instruments. 

Although Swordfishtrombones is fantastic, it’s Rain Dogs that holds a special place in the hearts of Maria and me. The story goes back nearly 20 years, to a time of young love, impressionable artists and the coolest art teacher on the planet. Flashback to high school art class, the teacher gives a very privileged few the rare chance to select a cassette tape from his office to play during class. Over the course of three years I can tell you I do not remember ever selecting a tape other than Rain Dogs. As you can guess, it became part of the soundtrack to our lives. 

Flash forward years and years later. We are living in Denver, excelling at being professional college students. One day I was bored out of my mind and went on Craigslist to look for prostitutes and serial killers…I kid, I kid! I went looking for vinyl records and I found an ad from some young female college student (immediate serial killer red flag, am I right?). She said she moved into a house and in the garage was a crate of old vinyl, everything $1.00. Wait, $1.00??? That’s within my budget! I kissed my wife goodbye and headed to the serial killer’s house. Being an extreme introvert, I sat outside her home debating whether or not I could get up the courage to approach a stranger. Well…I did! Turns out she was actually a she, a young, sweet college student, not after blood. She took me to the vinyls and it was the holy grail of Tom Waits!!! Several albums, $1.00 each. What else can I say? I’m so glad I’m outgoing and trust in the goodness of humanity. 

So there you have it. You learned zero about the music on this record, but did learn about a very charming story involving Maria and myself. You’re welcome.

 

Vinyl Profiles with E.K. Talking Heads: More Songs about Bulidings and Food

Hello Everyone,

Eric is back for his second weekly dive into our record collection. I had seriously high page views last week so I assume that means you want more! Enjoy!
~Maria

Welcome to the second installment of Vinyl Profiles with E.K. I thought picking a band’s second record would be fitting and, since I’m still apparently banned from 80s metal, I decided to pick a record that’s on heavy rotation in the Wimmer household. 

Maria and I often discuss how difficult it is for a band to have only winners. Most have a winner and several duds. However, on rare occasions there is, as the tiger head entrance to the Cave of Wonders would say, “a diamond in the rough.” The experimental late 70s/early 80s band Talking Heads is one of those “diamonds” (in fact, that’s probably what the tiger head was telling Jafar).

I’d like to profile the fantastic 1978 sophomore record More Songs About Buildings and Food by Talking Heads. We found this album at a Goodwill thrift store in Denver, CO back in 2006-7 for $1.50. Come to think of it, we have found nearly the entire catalog of Talking Heads over the years at various thrift stores. A dedicated regimen of vinyl hunting at thrift stores often yields amazing rewards.

This profile should really begin with the unique album art by the late great New York artist Jimmy De Sana. More Songs was a super cool photomontage and inspired many indie bands in the following years. The only Talking Heads cover I can think of that comes close was world renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg’s limited edition cover of the 1983 album Speaking in Tongues.

The other obvious reason I’m picking this out of their other albums is because it marks the band’s first collaboration with producer/musician Brian Eno. Now, there is only one reader that truly knows the extent of my unending love for Brian Eno (*hint, this one reader may also be referred to as Hottie McWifey). Brian Eno is a genius, pure and simple. On this record he took a group of four talented, but scattered musicians and focused their skills, played to their strengths. These strengths include David Byrne’s vision and unique voice, the iconic rhythm section of Chris Frantz (drums) and Tina Weymouth (bass) and some great guitar riffs from Jerry Harrison that greatly enhance the sound. This winning combination of sound and vision, often under the guidance of Brian Eno, would go on to solidify Talking Heads as one of the most original and inspiring bands of the 20^th century.