Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Mike Wran, the Readers Digest Version


Summary of previous post: Baltimore's Mike Wran was a fucking psyche-pop boy genius in training who shoulda got more attention for this record.

Chasing Down Storms (130 kbps VBR, 4.5 Mb)
There She Goes (155 kbps VBR, 4.7 Mb)
Parallel Sky (147 kbps VBR, 4.6 Mb)

Note: It's come to my attention that although people are visiting the previous posting, they aren't bothering to download the music. Maybe my posts are too long and people's eyes are glazing over with my pompous verbosity. So let me make it easy for ya by putting the cuts up front. This is out of print stuff, never on CD to my knowledge and probably won't ever be heard again. I'd love to hear y'all's opinion on it and whether I'm totally off base in wondering whether this is some tragically overlooked shit. Also, should my posts be smaller? Should I post the music up front? Or am I just stupid to expect people to try something different?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jim -- keep on writing the way you're writing. It's what keeps me coming back on a regular basis -- that and the fact that -- with a few exceptions -- you seem to be digitizing the contents of my once and present record collection. Saving me quite a bit of toil, mon frer.

Phil said...

hmmm, not sure i like this too much even if i'm a lover of psych. the 80s drum and synth production grates and i don't think his voice is strong or weird enough to make up for these 'sins'. some terrific chord changes and partial melodies, though, including the lovely chorus on chasing down storms.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comments. Yes, you are probaby right that it sounds dated... I like to think what might have been if this artist had gotten some support, though. I hear potential and I still think the songs are great - I'm kinda dated myself, though.

Phil said...

we can get in a war about who's more dated than the other if you like! i was making music in late 70s - mid 80s and in the later years ALL the recordings' of my friends started to sound like this. the only effect it had was to minimise the impact of their songs.

Anonymous said...

learn how read guitar music.

When I first saw a 12 year old friend make great music---seemingly out of thin air!---
with just a guitar and a piece of paper with some music notes squiggled on the page, I
was ... hooked.

I had to know: How do you DO that?

It took me nearly another 20 years to learn how read guitar music

Boy! It can take you way less than 20 hours now!

Anonymous said...

He was a great talented kid. He worked very hard on that album. I have the album..a few in fact. Saw him play live many times. Sometimes just hanging around.He is my sons godfather and someone I loved and cared about deeply. I don't see much of him any more. Life is funny that way. He was definitely over looked but I had the pleasure of enjoying his talent first hand. Thank you Michael.