Stray Cats: HOLLYWOOD STRUT — THE UNRELEASED CUTS (2000)*
As the name implies, a set of previously unreleased rarities. Starts with a loose acoustic set of the reunited Stray Cats. There’s lots of banter and false starts between tracks. It opens with “Stray Cat Strut” and after a false start you hear one of the members joke, “We’ve only played it every night for twenty years.” Feels like an early pre-tour rehearsal or demos for an acoustic greatest hits. I liked their rendition of “Midnight Train,” but the recording quality was so low that I didn’t bother collecting it. After this it moves into what appears to be a bootleg live recording, with it’s associated charms. I’m not sure why they thought this was a good idea to release such a thrown together project.
Collected Tracks
- N/A
The Strumbellas: PART TIME BELIEVER (2023)*
Finally, something good. I love the Strumbellas and wish more people knew them.
Collected Tracks
- Hold Me
- Let Down
- The Hurt
- Echoes
- My Home Is You
Sturgill Simpson: A SAILOR’S GUIDE TO EARTH (2016)*
I was unsure if I’d heard this record before, so I put it on the list just in case. Judging from the first track, alone, I’m fairly certain I haven’t.
Collected Tracks
- Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)
- Keep It Between the Lines
- In Bloom
Sturgill Simpson: SOUND & FURY (2019)*
I like Sturgill so much I wanted to double up on him. This is his least country album yet. I get some great Neil Young & Crazy Horse vibes from this record. The cover even looks like TRANS AM.
Collected Tracks
- Ronin
- Remember to Breathe
- Sing Along
- A Good Look
- Make Art Not Friends
- Best Clockmaker on Mars
- All Said and Done
- Last Man Standing
The Supremes: MEET THE SUPREMES (1962)*
I’ve been going through The Supremes’ catalog for some time now, over two platforms, and somehow this debut record wasn’t available to/noticed by me before. Fixing that oversight now. This is one of those super expanded versions that’s 3-4 times the length of the original. Won’t likely do the whole thing.
It’s interesting that Mary Wilson is out front on several of these tracks. It’s my understanding that she was always considered the better singer than Diana, but Diana was more approachable for audiences. That, or I’m confusing history with the plotline of DREAMGIRLS.
Collected Tracks
- You Bring Back Memories
The primary way I build my digital music collection is by maintaining a playlist called, “The Rotation.” On this list, I load albums of artists I’m interested in hearing; mostly new-to-me artists or albums. Because I need some organizational principle to conduct this survey, I go by the alphabetical listing of the artist. I typically move from earlier records to later records, although there are exceptions. If I’m excited to hear a new album by a favorite artist I’ll add it in an apparent random placement to hear it sooner than later. From this list I’ll select tracks to add to my collection. It’s rare that I DNF a record, and uncommon for me to not select a single track from it. I’ve been doing this for a while and am currently on my 9th trip around the alphabet. Below are the albums heard in a given session and what thoughts, if any, I have about them. These are mostly first impressions, so don’t expect in-depth analysis.
Asterisks (*) after the album title indicate that it is a new-to-me record.
MusicHead 
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