Buy Blackman!

So far, this blogging has been fun. Even though I started doing this just for fun and haven't found the time to publicize this blog at all, it is delightful when it yields surprises. I'll admit it is exciting when I find someone is actually reading what I write. It is even more exciting when what I write is read by someone I write about.

In a recent post, I had talked about this great Atlanta band called Starbuck. While researching the band for my post, I found out that the founder of the band, Bruce Blackman was still around and that the Starbuck releases available on Amazon were apparently not the original album recordings but instead some low quality demos released by someone looking to make a fast buck.

Imagine my delight when I found that Bruce Blackman himself somehow found his way to the blog and posted a comment about the imminent release of all the band's original recordings on his own label. I was relieved that he didn't yell at me for posting an MP3 of his song and I am ecstatic that the original recordings are to be released, I really hope to hear them soon. One of the best parts of the recording I had posted (as mentioned in my previous post) was the sonic quality of the recordings. I sincerely hope they have been remastered to preserve that sonic excellence.

I'm so happy to hear from Mr. Blackman that today's post has no song (you've had plenty over the last few weeks), but instead includes a link to MoonlightFeelsRight.com. I urge you to keep checking the site for information on the release of Starbuck recordings. Perhaps Mr. Blackman will drop by here and post a comment once those CDs are available on the site.

Visit http://MoonlightFeelsRight.com/

There's Starbucks in Atlanta?

Okay, admit it - how many of you have heard of Starbuck? No, I'm not talking coffee, though this upbeat, happy song could certainly perk you up. This selection is another one from the "Maxell Rock Sampler" that I transferred from vinyl recently.

Starbuck was a 70's era Atlanta band that had a few hits, most notably Moonlight Feels Right. Frankly, I had not heard of Starbuck, even though I thoroughly enjoyed this perky tune. When I was writing up this little intro to the music clip, I decided to see if any of their albums were available. Amazingly, Amazon listed a couple of Starbuck albums, but the lead singer of the band, Bruce Blackman had posted on the Amazon page that these were illegally released demos and not the original album versions of the song. I guess Starbuck is still unreleased. Like all the "Maxell Sampler" recordings I'll add here, the sound is sonically clear. According to the liner notes, "full vocal harmonies and fuzz-tone guitars back an extremely clear, strong tenor lead vocal ... Listen for the clear ringing of the opening brush hitting the cymbal. Listen also for a rarity in modern rock music: a crystalline unfuzzed guitar solo that's completely free from intentional distortion." Don't these liner notes sound like wine tasting notes?

Enjoy this song and then hope that some more Starbuck is released soon. You can check out the Starbuck MySpace page to hear Moonlight Feels Right. According to that page, Bruce Blackman is still around and in the industry and has written a couple of movie scores.

Great pop/rock that actually makes you smile!

Starbuck - It Feels So Good (3.26 MB; 128 kbps MP3)