Saturday Slumgullion

A Different Compilation by The Buzzcocks will be part of this year’s RSD treasures.

Vinyl fanatics will have to wait another year before Record Store Day is fully back to normal. The strategy of holding smaller RSD Drops instead of the traditional big event on the third Saturday in April was a sensible response to the pandemic in 2020. It still allowed us to purchase limited-edition records but in a far less crowded atmosphere. So, it’s no surprise the RSD Drops are back for 2021 as we tiptoe toward normalcy. There are two scheduled for this year so far; June 12 and July 17. Both lists are shown together on the official Record Store Day site, so be sure to check the date on any records you’re planning on buying on June 12.

The Old Town Art Fair, one of Chicago’s best known art events, is taking place June 12 and 13, so that could make for a busy weekend if you’re like me and enjoy art as well as vinyl. Usually, the Printer’s Row Lit Fest happens right about that same time, but this year it’s been pushed to the weekend of September 11 and 12.

Henry Diltz, the photographer who created iconic portraits of bands from the mid to late 1960s, posted on Facebook and Instagram that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are signing limited-edition prints related to his work for their Deja Vu album. The CSNY Official Store doesn’t mention anything about this, but hopefully we’ll found out soon if and when these prints are going on sale. The 50th Anniversary Box Set for Deja Vu is due out May 28.

The family of the late Richard Wright is putting together a website featuring stories, film, and photos about the Pink Floyd co-founder and keyboards player.

The May issue of the Illinois Entertainer, with a cover story on the recently back-in-auction Del Amitri, is available on the publication’s website. In addition to Tom Lanham’s feature story on Del Amitri, the issue has Jeff Elbel’s positive reviews of The Who Sell Out Super Deluxe box set (a must for dedicated fans of The Who); Liquid Soul’s Lost Soul Volume 1 (praised here on an earlier post); Pink Floyd’s Live At Knebworth 1990;  and former lead singer for The Tubes Fee Waybill’s Rides Again. Elbel also gives an 8 out of 10 rating to the recent re-release of God Bless The Go-Go’s, which is considerably more generous than the review I.E. gave the album when it first came out in 2001. (It wasn’t by me, although I was a staff writer at the time. I would have given it an 8 as well.)

Albums coming out this month (using the May I.E. as a cheat sheet) include You And Me by Nancy Wilson from Heart, When God Was Great by The Mighty Mighty BossTones, and Van Weezer by Weezer on 5/7; Blood by Juliana Hatfield, Fat Pop Vol. 1 by Paul Weller, Daddy’s Home by St. Vincent, Delta Kream by The Black Keys, and Scatterbrain by The Chills on 5/14; Intruder by Gary Numan, Micky Dolenz Sings Nesmith by Micky Dolenz, and American Quilt by Paula Cole on 5/21; and makeover by k.d. lang and Reprise by Moby on 5/28.

Musician/artist Ronnie Wood recently announced that he is now an ambassador for the Turn Up For Recovery organization, which helps addicts recover through the power of music.

 

While reading an article about the resurgence of ska music on the Stereogum website, I was intrigued by the name Catbite and checked out the Philadelphia-based band’s Bandcamp page. A quick spin through the eight catchy tracks of their 2019 self-titled debut was enough to make me buy it. “Midnight Eyes” and “Scratch Me Up” were particularly good.

Summer Of Soul (. . . Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a new documentary created by Questlove from The Roots, will be released in movie theaters and on Hulu July 2. The footage is from the 1969 six-week Harlem Cultural Festival but most of it never made it to the general public before. Summer Of Soul includes performances by Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Sly And The Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson, and B.B. King.

A savvy veteran has been added to the already impressive team of musicians and sports figures Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons have assembled this year’s Hot Stove Cool Music fundraiser virtual event. Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam will join Yo-Yo Ma, Boston Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck, Juliana Hatfiled, Bernie Williams, Kay Hanley and other surprise guests on May 18. Admission charges range from a $10 Single Ticket to the $1,000 Grand Slam, depending on how much you’re willing to donate. 100% of the proceeds go to The Foundation To Be Named Later, the charity organization founded by Theo Eptein and his brother Paul and The Peter Gammons College Scholarships.

Tickets are now on sale for The Art Of Banksy, coming to Chicago on July 1. The exhibition is described by its production company Starvox Exhibits as the world’s largest collection of privately owned work by the mysterious English street artist.