As a way to rediscover my vinyl collection, I’m playing an old record each time I work out. The idea is to listen to stuff I haven’t heard in decades, and to get out of my listening rut. So, the rules are:

  1. I go alphabetically by artist, then chronologically within the artist.
  2. I skip anything I own digitally. (This keeps me away from stuff I listen to already)
  3. I skip stuff that is accepted canon.( I can’t think of anything else to say about the White Album)
  4. I reserve the right to skip the second third, fourth, etc. album from an artist I’ve already covered. (After hearing Asia’s first album, Asia’s Alpha has nothing more to offer. I still may go back and listen to Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow, but I get to pass on Wired.)

Today, I listened to the Bodean’s third Album, Home.

During the late eighties, I was focused on the well-written song. I traveled hundreds of miles to see John Hiatt in a tiny club, and got fired from a decent job because I waited in line for good seats for Elvis Costello.

The Bodeans were one of those bands I should have loved, but they never quite hooked me. My fellow record store geeks raved about them, and I bought a few records as well. I may have even seen them open for somebody, but I never got on the bandwagon.

And in some ways, that’s the point of this exercise. This is a really fine record, and I’ve been hauling it around for 20 years, unheard. When the Love is Good, Brand New, and Beautiful Rain all jump off the turntable on first listen (or first listen in 20 year). The writing is good, the production is strong, and there’s a joy in the work, even in the sad songs. Overall, a smart, literate record, that I think will appeal more after multiple listens. The album came out in 1989, and it sounds current in 2010.

I am willing to believe that the problem in 1989 was Sam Llanas’ vocals. Gruff, comes to mind. And although I love me some gruffness (filed under Tom Waits), Llanas’ comes off as a little more annoying, a little less earned that Master Waits. It does make me want to hear what he sounds like today, though. He’s probably aged into it. Kurt Neumann, who splits the mic with Llanas, is much more pleasing to to the ear, if less distinctive.

According to the liner notes, the album was recorded with amps, drums, instruments and all in the same room at the same time, a primitive way to make a record. I wish it would happen a little more often.

I’m glad they all got out alive, though. In the notes for Beautiful Rain, Kurt Neumann has a credit for chainsaws.