A Head Full of Wishes is a site for Galaxie 500, Luna, Damon & Naomi, Dean & Britta and Dean Wareham. With news, articles and lists of releases and past and future shows.
My record collection
#166: Guitarrorists = Player + Instrument (2xLP)
When I posted about the CD version of Guitarrorists back near the beginning of this series (18 months ago!) I was rather casually dismissive of it, just saying that I don’t listen to it much and clearly didn’t really have the inclination to post much more than that. This time round I felt I should try harder…
… but, it’s hard work - too much of it is lacking in melody and beauty, too much of it sound like exercises or experiments and therefore are a little hard on the ears. I tried, and a few beauties do sneak in, but not enough and even some of the nicer ones overstay their welcome - I can just about tolerate a 90 second experiment but any that are over three minutes are trying my patience.
I didn’t think to take notes as I listened so, I guess I need to listen to it again to identify the ones I liked. That’ll be me listening to the whole thing three times in 18 months, more times than the 30 years previously I suspect!
Here are a few that I rather liked - there may be others… but not that many!
- I Really Can’t Say - Kathy Korniloff
- Mariposa - Marc Gentry
- West Broadway - Dean Wareham
- Dark Field - Nick Saloman
- Here - Lee Ranaldo (although at five and a half minutes it’s way too long!)
The LP does however earn points however for being in a gatefold sleeve and therefore has sleeve notes and credits that are actually big enough to read - here’s what it says about Dean’s contribution:
Dean Wareham has traded in the galaxie 500 for a clean, quiet electric car and enrolled in an abnormal psych. course at n.y.u.
Guitarrorists sleeve notes
… nope, me neither!
I also discovered, as I slid out the record from my collection that the spine gives the album a longer title - Guitarrorists = Player + Instrument (I went and checked the CD spine but that only gave the album a one word title).
As a bonus of something sweeter - here are the short guitar workouts of familiar tunes that Dean provided to Swart Amps back in 2007
- Catalogue Number: AHFOW 12/079
- Artist: Various Artists
- Title: Guitarrorists = Player + Instrument
- Packaging: Gatefold sleeve
- Format: 2xLP
- I’ve had the CD since the early/mid 90s but this was bought in 2016 on Discogs for £17 + postage.
Previously in my record collection: