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one year passes...
sir douglas quintet the low-key GOAT american rock band
― J. Sam, Friday, March 6, 2015 10:50 AM (six years ago) bookmarkflaglink
I stand by this. Marathoning the Complete Mercury Masters box today, and this is about as much fun as you can have on record
― J. Sam, Friday, 16 July 2021 20:23 (two years ago) link
I recently rolled the dice on what looked like a rough vinyl copy of Doug Saldana on eBay (only payed around $10 w/shipping vs. $25+ 'nicer' copies go for). It turned out fine, maybe a little hissy, but a killer LP all the same.
However, the jacket has a full seam split on top, with a partial on the bottom, which seems kind of common with this album, even on 'nicer' copies. Phillips obviously not spending a lot on packaging the SDQ by then.
I imagine maybe that the singles comp Sundazed put out didn't sell well enough to justify further reissues, but it's sad that you can't just walk into a good record store and pick up shiny presses of those Smash/Phillips/Mercury SDQ albums, which are way better than a lot of the 60s-70s obscure Rock stuff typically unearthed and enthused over.
From blogged ballot comments in 2019. when I shoulda copied them to this thread:
Sir Douglas Quintet: The Complete Mercury Masters: Digital-only re-reissue of the CD box, so no booklet, but no collector's prices, either. Still a reeling, chugging, loose and tight, amazing body of work, wobblers and all. Almost all of it is finally on legit import CDs, (that's how long it's been since orig. releases), ones and doubles and maybe some triples, with several Acacia reissues breadcrumbing stray tracks astutely gleaned by Paul Nelson for Rough Edges (1973), the scratchy bargain bin baby which I snapped up donkey's years ago, and have never seen even as a bootleg CD---but they're allll here, together again.
Ones I've never heard before incl. 7" edits, maybe audibly a little more loosely tight than the LP versions, if it's not the power of suggestion, and the Spanish-language EP I've heard tell of: re-recordings, or maybe remixes, with somebody else singing (I read somewhere that Sahm refused to learn the lingo). I miss the yearning drive and surety of Doug, finding his way through the low-budget sonics, but the other guys put their backs in, and "Nuevo Laredo," with hammering piano x drums, is a memorable ride on a bumpy road, in the back of a pick-up road (hold on, we're goin' to town). Also this version of "It Didn't Even Bring Me Down," with a re-title that might translate as "It's the Moon's Fault." Got some learning of my own to do.
We also get Sahm or SDQ-produced tracks of Roy Head and Junior Parker, backed by Southwestern R&B ensembles--not quite combos, in my mind, considering the big, never intrusive horn sound, though it may be generated by just two or three players, in such robust clarity. Parker seems a little subtle or tentative or something at times, but "Your Bag is Bringin' Me Down" and "Movin' Out" work, and Head (whose stash also incl. "Bag") throws himself right in there from the beginning (must find that folder of hot Head tracks sent by Edd Hurt). Speaking of hot, there are a couple of Sahmesque guitar solos, on "Nuevo Laredo" and "Movin' Out."
get it here https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Mercury-Masters-Douglas-Quintet/dp/B08CB2CTNZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sir+douglas+quintet+the+complete+mercury&qid=1626474385&s=dmusic&sr=1-1
― dow, Friday, 16 July 2021 22:43 (two years ago) link
The Amazon link for that has changed since 2019, and if this one doesn't work by the time you see it, o people of the future, look in their Digital Music for the current connection, as I just now did (and updated it on blog). Hate to do Amazon a favor, but I haven't seen the set elsewhere (not that I've looked since 2019)
― dow, Friday, 16 July 2021 22:50 (two years ago) link
I have the physical edition, and you're not missing too much notes-wise: 36 or so page booklet, with a fairly basic essay by Scott Schneider, track info mostly taken directly from the original album jackets, and a nice bunch of pictures.
four months pass...
three months pass...