Rainy Day Blues

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Top Left: Memphis Slim, Soul Blues. Released in ’74 on ALA, this is a great compilation of Slim’s finer works.  A protege to Big Bill Broonzy, Slim was a dark, passionate blues player with a crisp voice and an impeccable key player. Tracks to note; “Lonesome”, “Big Bertha”, and “One Man’s Mad”.

Bottom Left: The James Cotton Band, 100% Cotton.  Released in ’74 on Buddah Records.  Cotton began his professional career playing the blues harp for the notorious Howlin’ Wolf’ in the early 1950s. After a few solo releases, he formed the Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet in early ’64, then The James Cotton Band in 1970.  Tracks to note, “Burner”, “Creeper Creeps Again”, and “Boogie Thing”.

Top Right: Bobby Bland, Here’s The Man.  Repress from Duke Records in ’75 of Bland’s 1962 studio album, in rough shape but a rare find.  Notable tracks, “Jelly Jelly Jelly” and “Stormy Monday Blues”.

Bottom Right: John Lee Hooker, Detroit Special. Volume 5 of Atlantic Records “Blues Originals” series, released in 1972. Recordings on this album took place in ’53 and ’61. Slight warp but a great play.  Tracks to note, “Misbehaving Baby” and “I Aint Got Nobody”.

 

Confessions of a Yuppie Junkie

Cloud 8 has some killer vintage Madonna memorabilia and music right now.  This May 1985 issue of High Times featuring Madonna and Rosanna Arquette is loaded full of great pictures and witty interview questions.   20130930-130531.jpg

Super rare Madonna 8-Tracks, Like a Virgin and True Blue.  20130930-130540.jpg

“Dress You Up”, 12″ Maxi – Single, relesaed in 1984, excellent condition20130930-130546.jpg

“Open Your Heart”, 45″ single, released in 198620130930-130552.jpg

Cloud 8 Must Haves

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Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was the fifth studio album release by Black Sabbath.  Released in December 1973 on Warner Bros, this was an expansive album for the band featuring strings, keyboards, and complex orchestral arrangements.  This is a first edition pressing in the original shrink (unsealed).  Cover has minimal wear around the edges and vinyl is in good condition.

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Madonna’s Madonna was her debut studio album featuring some of everyone’s favorite dance hits, “Lucky Star”, “Borderline”, and “Burning Up” among others. It was released July 27, 1983 on Sire Records with a repress to follow in 85 for the European market.  This is an original pressing in the original shrink (unsealed).  Record has minimal wear and record is in good condition.

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ZZ Top’s First Album released January 16, 1971 on London Records.  A loud, often silly, and certainly brash album full of sexual innuendo, it established the bands identity for years to follow.  Recorded at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, TX the album failed to produce any real hits but is a gem for ZZ Top lovers.  This is a promo copy, rare, and in good shape compared to most.

Cloud 8 Records is happy to purchase your old vinyl records of various genre and condition. Contact Bucks Burnett to schedule a buying appointment!

 

Stoned, Slow, Rugged

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Top Left: Will Barnes, Texas Music in My Blood.  Recorded in 1975 at Autumn Sound Studio in Garland, TX.  This recording was the first and last release for Barnes who was a staple in the honky-tonks and dance halls in and around Dallas in the 70’s.  Drinking songs about Dallas? Yes please. This record is in great shape and a super rare find.

Bottom Left: Dolly Parton, Love Is Like A Butterfly.  Released in 1974 and the 14th studio release by Parton. The single, “Love Is Like A Butterfly” was her signature song for years previous to the album release.  Album is in great condition, cover is near mint.

Top Right:  Rusty Wier, Stoned, Slow, Rugged.  An obscure country outlaw gem, he walked a thin line between southern rock and country music, never truly conforming to either genre hence limiting his commercial success. This was Wier’s debut album released in 1974 on ABC, a must have for any country collector. Its very tough but homey at the same time.  Vinyl is in near mint condition with some ware on the cover.

Bottom Right:  Waylon Jennings’ Honky Tonk Heroes.  Excluding “We Had It All” all of the songs were written or co-written by Billy Joe Shaver.  Recorded in the spring of 1972, this was a pivotal album in the development of “outlaw country”.  Reluctant to release the “rock injected country”, RCA delayed the release until the summer of 73.  Record and cover are both in great shape.

 

Rainy Day Blues

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Top Left: Dynamic Bobby Bland’s, Here’s The Man!!!  Produced in 1962, this was the first Duke album issued in stereo format.  This is a 1988 repress.  Its not the prettiest, but it plays fine! This album is not available on cd and has not been repressed or released since 88.

Bottom Left:  An RCA Legendary Performer Collection, this is a great Woody Guthrie compilation, documenting his finest “Dust Bowl Ballads”. Released in 77, this issue is in great shape with slight discoloration on the cover, but still includes original booklet insert filled with great photos.

Top Right:  Arkansas Trap, one of George “Harmonica” Smith’s few solo releases, shows his strong admiration for the style of Little Walter. Known mostly for his collaborative work with many of the greats like Muddy Waters, his solo work is also a great, rare find. Released in 1971 on Dream (London Records), this is a promo copy in good condition.

Bottom Right:  Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues, was not recognized as such until this 1961 re release on Columbia, allowing his music (recorded in 1936-37) to reach a wider audience for the first time. Now recognized as a master of blues, Johnson died at 27 before his time. This copy in good condition, a must have for any serious blues collector.

Do you have old vinyl records you want to sell!?  Call Bucks Burnett of Cloud 8 Music and he will take them off of your hands.  (469) 867-4074

S E X

Released on October 21, 1992, to accompany Madonna’s fifth studio album Erotica (released a day earlier), Sex is a coffee table book like no other. Filled with soft-core pornographic images, she wrote the book as a character named “Mistress Dita”, inspired by the 1930’s film actress Dita Parlo. Shot  in New York City and Miami, the locations ranged from hotels and burlesque theaters, to the streets of Miami. The photographs were even stolen before publishing, but were quickly recovered. In spite mass controversy related to its release,  it was a commercial success with over 150,000 copies sold on the first day. Warner Bros was reluctant to allow Madonna to publish such a book, but gave in after forcing Madonna to sign a contract that forbade her from showing child pornography, bestiality and religious imagery.  Much to their surprise, Madonna founded the entertainment company, “Maverick” shortly there after, giving her total artistic control over any of the work released by Maverick, thus making the agreement she signed with Warner Bros obsolete. This is still one of the most sought after, out of print books, and Cloud 8 Records is proud to sell this mint condition copy here in the store.   Here is a small sample of one of the greatest post-feminist art pieces of our time.

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Happy Memorial Day

Today is the holiday that kicks off summer! Here are some great classics we have to offer. Perfect soundtracks for your poolside shenanigans!

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We Laughed and Laughed

If you haven’t enjoyed comedy via vinyl, you’re missing out! Some of our favorite, raunchiest, comedies from the vaults of Cloud 8.

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(Top Left) Lenny Bruce’s American is a must have for Bill Hicks fans.  Lenny, who was put on trial in 1964 for his obscene methods of social critique and satire, was forced into bankruptcy, and died from morphine overdose in 1966.  Known for his performances to be at their best when he was at his worst, by the time he passed, he had been blacklisted by nearly every nightclub in the United States.  On December 23, 2003, 37 years after his death, New York Governor George Pataki, granted Lenny Bruce a posthumous pardon for his obscenity conviction.

(Bottom Left) The third album released by Richard Pryor, “That Nigger’s Crazy” was recorded live at Don Cornelius’ Soul Train nightclub in 1974.  It won him a Grammy for Best Comedy Album and maintained a spot at #1 on Billboard music charts for four weeks.

(Top Right) Brother Dave Gardner, Kick Thy Own Self, released in 1960 on RCA, after being discovered by Chet Atkins.  Gardner was known for his “beatnik” style comedy and one-liner zings…  “folks used to pray to God for rain, and now they call Washington,”, “Say, a Democrat is somebody who expects somethin’ fer nothin’, and a Republican is somebody who expects nothin’ fer somethin’, an’ a Independent is a cat that greases his own car,” and “If I were bound by either party, well then, I might ferget America,”

(Bottom Right) A spin off from National Lampoon Magazine, “That’s Not Funny That’s Sick!” was released in 1977 on vinyl and is a collection of sketches from National Lampoon Radio Hour running Nov. 17, 1973 to Dec. 28, 1974.  Performers include Richard Belzer, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray, Mel Brooks, and Paul Shaffer.