Music Library: Ray Davies, Raymond Scott, Real Kids, Real Tuesday Weld, Jay Reatard, Rebecca West, Red Dirt, Red Garland, Red House Painters

Ray Davies - Working Man's Cafe (2007). It's not the worst thing I've ever heard, but you know it's nowhere close to Ray Davies in his prime if I even consider offering up such a disclaimer.

Raymond Scott - Manhattan Research, Inc. (rel. 2000). This is a compilation of Scott playing with sound effects and background noise. It ain't no "Powerhouse."

The Real Kids - The Real Kids (1977). Punk/proto-punk band fronted by Ex-Modern Lover John Felice. Solid songs with an awesome garage vibe, sort of like the Dictators.



The Real Tuesday Weld - Free eMusic Compilation (2008). Fairly precious chamber-pop with a swing vibe. It seems tailor-made for certain quirky indie films.



Jay Reatard - Blood Visions (2006), Singles 06-07 (rel. 2008), Watch Me Fall (2009). I covered much of Mr. Reatard's output some years back. The dude had some serious pop-garage chops. It's a damn shame he died so young.



Rebecca West - "Sick." This is a pretty good 90s punk band, not the feminist author or the folk trio currently active as The Rebecca West.

Red Dirt - "Summer Madness Laced With Newbald Gold." Psych-blues British band recorded in 1970.



Red Garland - Red Garland's Piano (1957), Groovy (1957), Manteca (1958), The Moodsville Vol 1 (with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, 1960). Groovy is right. Garland was a bop pianist who usually recorded with Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums during the 50s. Occasionally he had a young upstart named John Coltrane sit in on sax at the time, but those albums have been retroactively added to Coltrane's name. Even without the nascent giant, though, Garland was a smooth and accomplished player and these are all enjoyable.

The Red House Painters - Down Colorful Hill (1992), Red House Painters (I) (1993), Red House Painters (II) (1993), Ocean Beach (1995), Songs For A Blue Guitar (1996), Retrospective (rel. 1999), Old Ramon (2001). I have a hard time knowing what to do with Mark Kozelek albums. Some are under his own name, some under Sun Kil Moon, and some under the name of his original band, Red House Painters. Personally, I like Kozelek best in his languid, fuzzy, trippy-as-hell indie-psychedelia mode, and I think the first three albums by RHP are just about perfect. Don't know why they self-titled two different albums that came out in the same year, but I'm assuming it was a weird tribute to Peter Gabriel.