HOLY COW! BUDGET LPS!

One restless summer afternoon recently I was poking around the Discrepancy Records web site, checking out the GENRE sections and particularly the SHOP tab. I’d not bought a record in 2023 and was feeling decidedly fidgety. Strung out, even.

Realising I’d never looked at the Budget Vinyl LPs section I dived in. It’s fascinating. So many great records, many of them under $40 a pop. The jazz offering is particularly impressive, with first rate albums from Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson and Dave Brubeck, amongst many others. One that caught my eye was a lesser known soul-jazz LP from drummer Idris Muhammad.

Recorded in 1974 for Creed Taylor’s CTI label, Power Of Soul features a stellar line-up of jazz talent. In addition to the soulful, infectious foundation laid down by Idris himself, there are great contributions from Grover Washington on tenor sax, Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, and keyboard maestro Bob James. Guitarist Joe Beck also shines, in particular on the Jimi Hendrix penned title track. Effortlessly bridging the territory where jazz and soul meet, this powerfully grooving LP is a delight from needle drop to finish. Want to know what classy funk infused soul-jazz sounds like? Try Power Of Soul.

There is a heap of blues and roots music in the Budget Vinyl section. Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee… One record I made a mental note to return to is a fantastic compilation of Willie Dixon hits. Don’t know Mr Dixon? You should. He was a massive influence on the young British blues players of the 60s. This LP has "Spoonful" (covered by Eric Clapton and Cream), "Little Red Rooster" (Rolling Stones) and "I can’t quit you baby" (Led Zeppelin’s debut). Not bad for starters.

Singers are well represented too. Piles of Bob Dylan albums, plus great LPs from Loudon Wainwright, Tim Buckley and Otis Redding.

The range of artists and styles in this relatively small section really is impressive. Nico’s All Tomorrow’s Parties sits next to Leadbelly. Linda Ronstadt rubs shoulders with Little Richard. The Lovin’ Spoonful grin at Thelonious Monk frowning at his piano. There are some very pleasing "off the beaten track" LPs here too. I was amazed to see not one but two records by legendary Cambridge progressive outfit Henry Cow! This fiery British band were political charged and musically adventurous. Keyboard and reed player Tim Hodgkinson and avant-guitarist Fred Frith wrote most of the music on their debut LP Leg End, providing plenty of tricksy time signatures and clever arrangements. In fact it is creativity on amphetamines with the band that helped form the Rock In Opposition (RIO) movement. In a quieter progressive vein, the live Harmonia record—Harmonia Live 1974—gives a good idea of the mesmeric beats of krautrock, while minimalist composer Terry Riley’s seminal A Rainbow In Curved Air is essential listening for anyone interested in the instrumental music of Tangerine Dream or Brian Eno.

Has this whistle-stop tour whetted your appetite? Hope so. Next time you order something at Discrepancy, take a quick detour into the Budget Vinyl LPs section and add something different. A change in the weather may well refresh your ears.

© Bruce Jenkins (January 2023)