Vintage video games.

I was digging around my old video game box and came upon these treasures. 

Kiss Revenge on vinyl

I bought a copy of Kiss' Revenge on vinyl. A lot of people consider this record a return to form for Kiss. While this is a great album personally I enjoyed just about every previous album except maybe for Hot In The Shade. This is the first time it has been released on vinyl except for a small issue in 1992. 

Spring is here.

Spring is definitely here and our Plum Tree is full of plums. We haven't had plums for the last two years because of late frosts. This is a wild plum we pulled from the side of the road in southern Georgia so the plums don't get that big. But they are flavorful and sweet, unless your my wife and pick them when they're green and tart.

Forty years of Kiss

Kiss is finally getting inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame after fifteen years of eligibility and forty years after their first release. My first introduction to Kiss was when I was ten years old in 1976 but it really wasn't until 1983 and the release of Lick it up that I got into Kiss. I had a friend in school listened to them and he was really into Creatures of the Night. He was able to see them in concert; that's the tour that had the tank built into the stage. Fast forward to the point of this post. I am showing off my Kiss vinyl collection in honor if forty years of Kiss.

It's far from complete but appreciated nonetheless. My copy of the Self-Titled debut includes Kissing time on the record itself, but it is not mentioned on the cover except for the sticker on front. From what I understand, this was added during the second pressing

My copy of Dressed To Kill is embossed with the Kiss logo which was common for this album's initial release. I have seen some later issues that did not have the embossed letters.

Kiss Alive; one of the best Live ever.

Double Platinum; silver gloss with embossed logo.

After my initial fascination with Kiss, my attentions ran elsewhere. Through the early 1980's I was pretty much a Top Forty whore, listening to New Wave bands, and cheesy Rock and Roll. Maybe that's why Kiss rekindled my interest. But in 1983, Kiss once again captured my attention, as they did with most older fans when they took off their makeup.

Blade Runner Soundtrack

I've always loved the movie Blade Runner. It was one of the movies from "The Summer of 1982" which included Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan and E.T. I was a fan of Science Fiction and loved reading Starlog magazine which I devoured every article and picture. It was through this magazine that I became aware of this movie. I remember seeing images of the Spinners (the Flying Car), an aerial shot of the classic round building of the police head quarters, and pictures of the cast itself. Unbeknownst to me at the time was that Vangelis was composing the score. I had been turned on to Vangelis two years earlier in 1980 when I watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos and was enthralled by the theme music.
That summer came and I was able to see Star Trek, and I was able to see E.T. but as Blade Runner was an R rated movie my parents were unwilling to take me, I missed it that summer. I got a job at the local mall and had money of my own to spend. I bought up all the merchandise I could related to the movie. I bought a movie souvenir book. I bought Marvel Comics' illustrated adaptation, and along the way I found a cassette copy of the soundtrack. But, as has became notoriously known, the soundtrack was not actually by the man himself but an orchestra put together by the studio. Vangelis did not want the music released as a soundtrack. Many stories have surfaced over the years from the music wasn't good enough for a soundtrack to he had a falling out with the producers of the film. As far as I know none of the parties involved have ever gone on record as to why the original music was never released in 1982. But, I bought the cassette copy and actually enjoyed at least a facsimile of the music that summer.
Finally, that fall, the movie was released to what I called second chance theaters; movies released sixty to one hundred and sixty days after a movie's initial release. Most, if not all, of these movie houses have gone out of business as the business model has changed; most movies are released to DVD sixty days after the initial release. Our local second chance theater was called The Cinema Tavern as beer was available to purchase. I finally got to see the movie and I was able to hear the real Vangelis recorded music. From the memorable opening scene, to the Love Theme to the gut wrenching slow-motion glass smashing death scene of Zora played to the melancholy Blade Runner Blues; it was all there.
Through the years I continued to listen to Vangelis. I spent a lot of time and money buying all his old releases. 1984 saw the release of Soil Festivities (my first purchase of a newly released Vangelis album); Invisible Connections in 1985 (a strange collections of musical stream of consciousness) and Direct in 1988. 1992 rolls around and Ridley Scott releases his Director's Cut. I wasn't able to see it in the theater that time (that's a story in itself) and two years later in 1994 Vangelis finally released an official soundtrack.

Update: Since the original post I have acquired a vinyl copy of the original New American Orchestra version.

My Windham Hill Recordings

I'm not a big fan of New Age music. Having said that I have listened to my fair share of it. There are many record labels that cater to new age music; Narada, Higher Octave, and Sequoia to name a few. And they are probably some of the best. But one label that's stands above even that is Windham Hill. Founder William Ackerman doesn't like to call his label new age and I have to agree with him; while a lot of new age nusic uses synths to play monotone music Windham Hill artists use a variety of acoustic and electronic instruments. I've been listening to Windham Hill artists since an army buddy turned me on to George Winston in 1985. So. I'd like to share my Windham Hill collection:


I have about two dozen recordings in both Compact Discs and Vinyl formats.

Terrific Garage Sale Viny Record Finds

I had a terrific experience going to garage sales with my wife this past Saturday (4/27/2013). Usually it is boring for me as there is very little that interests me. But lately I've gotten back into vinyl records and we found two sales right next to each other with records. This was at a storage unit where several young guys were selling stuff they had picked up while cleaning foreclosed houses. I was able to find thirty or forty records. Katherine picked quite a few to put in her booth but I was able to claim many for myself.

The next storage unit sale was nearby the first and I was able to find about 15 records there. The pictures show the records I decided to keep; they include The Beatles Let It Be, Eric Clapton, Pat Benetar, Santana, George Harrison, several Jethro Tull album, Allman Brothers, And Ozzy.

The last column of records includes Styx, Sammy Hagar, REO Speedwagon, and Rush.