News

• October 21, 2010 at 05:46 AM

  Record Store of the Week: CD Trader (Tarzana, CA)

  For this week's Record Store of the Week, we give you CD Trader (Tarzana, CA)! CD Trader has been around for a while and there's a reason for that--they're a good-old-fashion, no non-sense record store. The owners and staff are knowledgeable, they carry an enormous stock of CDs, records, DVDs, cool T-Shirts, etc., and they even have a sense of humor. Imagine that! So if you find yourself in Tarzana tracing the footsteps of Tarzan novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs (for which the city is named), make sure you stop by CD Trader. Tell 'em Light In The Attic sent ya! Tell us some stuff about CD Trader. How long have you been around? How did you get started? CD Trader started 15 years ago in Thousand Oaks, CA, moved 10 years ago to Tarzana, and expanded 5 years ago to it's now dominant position, still in Tarzana, on Ventura Blvd.  A guy named Steve started it with his CD collection.  A guy named, Dave bought it a couple years ago, after working there for some time.  Over the years, the store has grown 10-fold.  We sell CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and plenty of good-old-fashioned Records! [caption id="attachment_2564" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="There's Dave, engulfed in music!"][/caption] What kind of folks frequent your store, and what sort of records do they typically buy? We get both kinds:  country and western.  And they buy all sorts of records. CD Trader has been around for quite some time--10-15 years, right? That's like 50 years in record store years. What are your thoughts on how things have changed in the business? Two things:  people download and, they have less hair. What’s your favorite record right now? Meatballs soundtrack What record do you always find yourself listening to in the store? Meatballs soundtrack What is your favorite Light in the Attic release and why? Who are Light in the Attic? Just kidding:  Gabor Szabo "Jazz Raga" This is a long overdue reissue of one of my all-time favorite artists.  Gabor on Impulse including his records with Chico Hamilton all sound amazing.

  What is the coolest/most prized record has come into your store that you never thought you’d ever see? "Strictly From Hunger" on Public Records.... no wait, the Meatballs soundtrack.

  Who are Light in the Attic?

  Just kidding:  Gabor Szabo "Jazz Raga"  This is a long overdue reissue of one of my all-time favorite artists.  Gabor on Impulse including his records with Chico Hamilton all sound amazing.

  What’s the funniest/weirdest/strangest encounter you’ve had with a customer in the store? The guy who drove an hour and a half back to our store, just to tell us we had been wrong during our discussion of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.  He said, "I just drove back here to tell you that you guys are wrong."  He actually told us that a couple times, and then he left. What do you love most about working at a cool independent record shop? The smell of middle-aged men in the morning. ----------- CD Trader 18926 Ventura Blvd Tarzana, CA 91356 818-705-3544 www.cdtradertarzana.com Mon-Sat 10am-8pm Sun 11am-7pm

• September 27, 2010 at 05:13 AM

  Record Store of the Week: Sig's Lagoon (Houston, TX)

  This week, we find ourselves deep in the heart of texas, Houston, Texas, that is! Home of NASA's Johnson Space Center ("Houston, we have a problem"), the Astrodome, and even legendary outsider musician Jandek! While we're listing Houston's many cultural offerings, allow us to introduce this week's Record Store of the Week: Sig's Lagoon! Tell us about Sig's Lagoon and its history. Sig's Lagoon is named after Sig Byrd - a columnist of the Houston Post, Houston Press, and Houston Chronicle.  He wrote a book published in the 50's called Sig Byrd's Houston ( a great read).  "Lagoon" is a term used by a character in the book which means in a roundabout way "cool."  The store is approaching it's 6 year anniversary. How many people work for Sig's Lagoon? Me, myself, and I....does that make 3? What kind of folks frequent your store, and what sort of records do they typically buy? Neighborhood peeps and music junkies. Sig's Lagoon is an emporium of cool stuff. What kinds of records and things do you carry? Lots of oldies, international comps, and more oldies.  We are also your Houston hub for tiki mugs, bobbleheads, and Uncle Charlie (Chazbro) posters. What record do you always find yourself listening to in the store? Final Relaxation by the Golding Institute.  It's a good way to end the day and/or clear out the store. What is the coolest/most prized record has come into your store that you never thought you’d ever see? It would have to be a tie between a record signed by all of the Beach Boys and a signed Lightnin Hopkins LP. What is your favorite Light in the Attic release and why? Right now it's Gabor Szabo "Jazz Raga."  Just hit repeat...its that good! Do you have many characters down there in Houston? If so, what's the weirdest/funniest/strangest encounter you've had with a customer in the store? Little Joe Washington. He would by a copy of his cd "Houston Guitar Blues" from me and then immediately resells it to someone outside for 2 or 3 times as much - sometimes even turning to the person behind him....... and pulling it off!!!   Consequently, it's the top selling release at our store(....even without LJW's creative marketing schemes!). Do you do instore performances? If so, who is your favorite band/artist that has played in your store? We used to have in-stores, but since we moved to a cozier location we have stopped.  Favorite instore:  Little Joe Washington.  He played 1 & 1/2 songs, "passed the hat," and then left.  The  people were overwhelmed, stunned, and sucker punched all at once.  It still makes me laugh! What do you love most about working at a cool independent record shop? the cookies. Sig’s Lagoon 3710 Main Street Houston, TX 77002 (281) 533-9525 http://www.sigslagoon.com/ HOURS 11am-7pm Mon-Thurs 11am-12am Fri-Sat closed Sunday

• August 06, 2010 at 05:07 AM

  Distro Fever! New Deluxe LPs from Hungarian label Moiras

  Following the news that Light in the Attic was reissuing the Gabor Szabo Jazz Raga album, we hooked with the  Hungarian label, Moiras, who have a whole batch of super limited LPs and CDs that have never been available in the United States, until now! Obviously the first big one is a Gabor Szabo's Jazzpodium 74 - Live in Budapest, which marked the first time the native Hungarian jazz guitarist visited his homeland since 1956. Szabo's performance was for a Hungarian television program, the first such show ever devoted to jazz music broadcast on Hungarian television, on September 12, 1974, and that performance was broadcast in Hungary the following year. The eight songs performed for that program have been turned into a deluxe, super limited CD (550 copies worldwide) and a forthcoming deluxe hand-numbered gatefold LP release (330 copies), which is not yet available. Buy Jazzpodium '74 HERE Also available is a deluxe LP from Hungarian rock band Scampolo, whose Under The Rainbow album gather previously unreleased material from 1968-1970. The band covers the likes of British/American soul and R&B artists such as Richie Haven and John Mayall with their own unique Hungarian rock  flavor, and include a few of their own original studio and live recordings that generally shine brightest in the progressive rock spectrum. This deluxe, hand-numbered gatefold LP is limited to 330 copies. Buy Under The Rainbow HERE Some highlights from the Hungarian prog rock scene between 1971 and 1974 are fully encapsulated on the deluxe hand-number gatefold LP of Hungaria's It Would Be Cool If It Was Cool.  This is a collection of unreleased songs the band did before they became Beatles revivalists. This album is also limited to 330 copies, and comes in a deluxe, hand-numbered gatefold packaging. Buy It Would Be Cool If It Was Cool HERE Also available is the reissue of Kettõnt by the moderately successful Transylvanian folk duo of Erika Jó and Horvá Kály, who were greatly influenced by the Hungarian pop and folk scenes in the early 70s. Due to Communist political restrictions in Romania, only a few thousand copies of this record were made, making the record extremely scarce. The reissue of this is just as rare (330 copies worldwide), but comes presented in a deluxe hand-numbered gate-fold sleeve. Buy Kettõnt HERE Lastly, is "the most unusual hard rock production of all time," by Romanian rock band Metropol. Éig éetne az ék (The Song Could Reach The Sky) is their debut LP from 1978, and remained the only one sung in Hungarian. Because it was never distributed in Hungary when it was released, it only reached the ethnic Hungarian minority living in Romania, yet it is considered to be the very best Metropol has ever done. Buy Éig éetne az ék (The Song Could Reach The Sky) HERE

• June 25, 2010 at 05:13 AM

  LITA 053: Gabor Szabo, Jazz Raga

  Light in the Attic's latest release is this lost classic from the innovative Hungarian-born jazz musician Gabor Szabo. Released last week, our 53rd title is a mesmerizing piece of genre-bending jazz. Jazz Raga stands as a testament to Szabo's experimental brilliance. It is a record stuffed with myriad styles, a cross-section of global influences that include jazz, rock and psychedelic folk tinged with sitars, a Latin-influenced backbeat (courtesy of session drummer Bernard Purdie, whose play here is sterling), as well as traditional European sounds. It is a hypnotic blend, a rich musical fusion crafted by a master artisan. Szabo’s guitar work on Jazz Raga is among the best of his career, a sublime performance in which Szabo’s free runs, discordant chords and lilting solos produce a distinct, engrossing sound. From the blissed-out “Walking On Nails” to the sitar-heavy “Mizrab” to the inspired cover of “Paint It Black,” it is clear why Jazz Raga has, in the decades since its release, become an important and influential work for scores of musicians fortunate enough to come across its path. Purchase Jazz Raga here.