TO BE THICK AS JEFFREY MORGAN’S MEDIA BLACKOUT #269!

The Sweetness – What’s It Like to Be A Sprinkler, I Wonder? (self released) :: Wherein a spate of mesmerizing double-tracked she-vocals slink against a spooky setting of sparse folksy blues. Don’t let the band name fool you because, as the album title intimates in its own wonky way, this is one record that goes beyond being merely idiosyncratic into a darker vein that dares to redefine the very essence of irrational ire that’s disconcertingly dire.

Rory Gallagher – Notes From San Francisco (Eagle Rock) :: It’s a safe bet that nobody ever went to a Rory Gallagher concert to hear him sing and the brakeless speed-wheelin’ live side of this hoarse-larynxed twofer is ample proof of that. But the real rockin’ revelation can be found on first disc’s unveiling of a previously unreleased studio album that The Roar waxed way back in 1977 and then was forced to shelve after he was unable to properly mix the master tapes; you know, like he was defeated dealing with Raw Power or something. Luckily, some modern whizz kid’s managed to get his vacuum tubes in a row and finally finish the job, with the result being that this is one instant classic rock record that’s more than worth waiting three and a half decades for! And speaking of classic rock concoctions...

SIZZLING PLATTER OF THE WEEK: Who Cares – “Out Of My Mind” b/w “Holy Water” (Armoury) :: At first I thought this was some kinda new Who single, but no such luck. Then I thought that mebbe it was some kinda Who tribute single that covered two songs I’d never heard before, but nuh-uh. Then I finally realized that I was beholding that rarest of beasts; a stubborn survivor from the last of a dying breed long thought extinct: a supergroup.

That’s right, what we got here is a titanic team-up of such legendary luminaries as Ian Gillian, Tony Iommi, Jon Lord, and Jason Newsted. Now given that stellar starting line-up, it’s pretty much a given that this ain’t no run of the mill retro regurgitation. In fact, it sounds about as good as you’d expect it to—but the thing that really makes this classic rock reunion worth your while is Gillian’s vocals, both of which are a certifiable hoot and a half.

On “Out Of My Mind” he does a fair to middling ululating David Bowie impersonation all the way through the song, except on the bridge when he opts to adopt an Ozzy Osbourne voice instead. But that’s nothing compared to the uncanny channeling of Ian Anderson that Gillian does on “Holy Water.” Indeed, were someone to pull a Juke Box Jury and tell you that what you were listening to was a previously unreleased Jethro Tull track, you’d be hard pressed to say nay. So go out and get it now—and make sure you stick around for the bonus videos and documentaries after you’ve stopped chortling.

Be seeing you!