This, dear friends, is a 1974 release from the esteemed Mr. Alan Price, of Animals and House of the Rising Sun fame. It's named Between Today and Yesterday and its a definite contender for inclusion on the "Best Albums Not Available on CD" list that I can't seem to get away from. For the skinny go here. Like so many of what I have come to regard as my favorites, I first got this as a cutout 8-track when I was 16. Boy, I miss cutout bins. What does it sound like, you may ask? Well, upfront, its a bit pretentious and grandiose, but Price has a self-effacing style here that keeps it gounded. It's supposed to be somewhat autobigraphical. It's a bit bluesy, a lot like Randy Newman, early Nilsson, Van Dyke Parks, and early-to-mid 70's Procol Harum. I have also heard the names Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill bandied about in regard to its general feel and lyrical content, and these comparisons are not unfounded. The title song, done twice-on side one, stripped down with only piano accompaniment, and on side two with a full orchestra- is emotionally stark and haunting. If you run across this in a used vinyl store, you should buy. But you knew I was gonna say that, didn't you.Music today so far: Rufus Wainwright's self titled debut and Fountains of Wayne-Utopia Parkway.
