December Consignment Haul

By Jack Rafferty

We have a consignment store in town nearby, and among many superficial oddities, they sell old used DVDs, CDs, books, and vinyl for around two to ten bucks. A lot of it is shit, but every once in a while, you stumble upon gems, with the search making it all the more exciting when you do find something good. 

This is what I got on my most recent trip.

Vinyl LPs

Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba, An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba.

I love Harry and Miriam, so I was surprised to see an album with them collaborating that I was not aware of. I misinterpreted this to be a duet album, but they only perform together on two songs. The performances of South African songs by both are exceptional. I loved reading the story on the album cover that Harry contributed about when he first met Miriam, and how she introduced him to the plight of the South African people under the apartheid system, which led him to be a lifelong advocate for their struggle, and how she introduced him to a lot of African music in general. I also love the song titles, with highlights like “Mabayeke” (“Give Us Our Land”) and “Ndodemnyama” (“Beware, Verwoerd!” the “architect of apartheid,” a name I hadn’t thought of since my course on apartheid years ago. I still remember his awful face). 

Willie Nelson, Always on My Mind.

This one is definitely not my favorite by Willie. As far as cover albums go, I do think he does a great job of taking a pretty eclectic mix of songs and making them his own. It’s not necessarily the sound that I prefer from Willie overall, but it does have some standout tracks. My favorite is his cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It’s one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs, and Willie does well with it. 

Waylon Jennings, Ol’ Waylon.

Waylon is one that I admittedly have not explored enough. There have always been songs here and there that I’ve enjoyed, but I was always more of a Johnny/Willie fan. This is something I’m intent on fixing, because I do enjoy what I have heard from Waylon. I have to start somewhere, so might as well grab the first record I see. Compared to what I have heard from Waylon prior, I think that there are things to enjoy on this album, but there are also tracks that fall flat for me. I really like the lead track, “Luckenbach, Texas.” The “Sweet Caroline” cover is just not Waylon’s style (I hate the original song, so maybe that is causing a bias). Overall, this album is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but there is some stuff to enjoy here. I’m looking forward to getting some more records by Waylon soon. 

Pharoah Sanders, Jewels of Thought.

Pharoah Sanders is another one I have dabbled in but haven’t experienced much of their discography in depth. I was surprised to hear the yodeling that takes place on the first track, but Pharoah has never been one to do the expected. I liked it at first, but I do think it overstays its welcome. The following twenty-seven-minute track begins with some truly discordant experimental sound, which I imagine is maybe worthwhile to trip to, but is pretty harsh otherwise. It is just free jazz chaos for the first ten minutes, with some relief coming around the ten-minute mark with beautiful piano arpeggios, followed by the group finally getting into a groove and Sanders’s incredible saxophone playing shining through. The yodeling makes its return here, however, which dampens it a bit. Some truly unsettling stuff here. It’s rather shocking to think how ahead of its time this was, and how it must have really rocked the boat for the genre. I think stuff like this is definitely an acquired taste, and this is not my favorite material of Pharoah’s that I’ve heard. Regardless, I am glad to have it. Perhaps it will grow on me over time. 

Phil Ochs, Phil Ochs in Concert.

This is the album that introduced me to Phil Ochs, who has since become a favorite of mine. Tracks like “Love Me I’m a Liberal,” “When I’m Gone,” “Cops of the World,” and more get nearly daily listens from me. Phil was a real one, and had no problem being honest and upfront with his views. He wasn’t afraid to challenge the status quo of political songwriting or discourse, and he didn’t hide behind a veil of obscurity or seek out media celebrity like Bob Dylan. Ochs was one of the most sincere songwriters of his era, and also an incredible satirist (this live album especially highlights his fantastic sense of humor and sharp wit). In addition, he wrote some of my favorite poetic ballads that had a more romantic approach to them, such as “The Highwayman.” This is to say that his output was at times eclectic, but always earnest and rooted in a strong sense of solidarity with the people, and against the ruling class, with lyrical content addressing social justice, labor struggles, antiwar sentiment, and civil rights, among others. So many of these songs make my heart swell. I was very excited when I found this because I have wanted a physical copy of it for a long time. 

CDs

O Brother Where Art Thou? Soundtrack.

One of my favorite film soundtracks of all time. This is also one of my favorite movies. I don’t have a ton of happy memories with my dad, but I remember sitting on the couch and watching this with him a lot. We used to laugh together throughout, and both loved the music. It is good to have things like this to return to and think about. 

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Trio.

What is there that can be newly said about Trio? It’s a bona fide classic. Dolly, Linda, and Emmylou’s voices are all so distinct and powerful, you would think that on paper the mix of them all wouldn’t work, but it does, and it does so beautifully. Their harmony together is sublime. So many iconic tracks here. “The Pain of Loving You,” “Wildflowers,” “My Dear Companion,” on and on. Looking forward to wearing out the disc listening to this one over and over. 

DVDs

Mean Streets, director Martin Scorsese.

Mean Streets is the one that put Martin Scorsese on the map in a lot of ways, and it also did so for Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. It has been quite a few years since I watched this one, but I loved it then. In some ways, Scorsese was still coming into form and finding his style, but there are a lot of great things here. I will be curious to see if it holds up based on my older impressions. 

Snatch, director Guy Ritchie.

This is one that I liked a lot more when I was younger. Figures, as Guy Ritchie seems to make the types of films that appeal to teenage boys. The snappy dialogue, tough-guy attitudes, hit or miss humor, and violence all resonated with me and my friends at that age. I do still like Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films, for what it is worth, and there are parts of Snatch that still hold up well, but much of it comes off as overly edgy or tryhard at times. Perhaps revisiting it will kindle some kinder thoughts for it again. 

Hero, director Zhang Yimou.

It has been years since I watched this wuxia film, but I remember being entranced by its visual presentation and choreography. I really should watch some other films by Zhang Yimou, since I do remember loving the style of this one so much. I also just learned that Zhang was the director for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Olympics in China, which I thought was pretty cool. I remember being a kid watching those ceremonies and being blown away by how meticulous and grand they were. Excited to revisit this film. 

The Master, director Paul Thomas Anderson.

I go back and forth on whether this one or There Will Be Blood are my favorite films by Paul Thomas Anderson. I still need to watch his new film. All these things to catch up on. The Master is excellent, though, and I’m happy I finally own a copy and can put it on the shelf. His films are dense, and I’m not always in the mood to rewatch them, but they are good to have all the same. 

Books

Annie Proulx, Close Range.

I absolutely loved The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. It is one of my favorite books that I have read in the past few years. I’ve been meaning to read Brokeback Mountain for a while now. Since that story is in this book, I am happy to be getting around to it, and am also excited for what else is here. I hope it lives up to the writing present in The Shipping News. 

Jose Saramago, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.

I recently read Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago, and thought it was brilliant. I haven’t really found an author that thinks and writes somewhat similarly to Jorge Luis Borges until I read Saramago, and this was a wonderful thing to discover. I plan to get through as many of Saramago’s books as I can, so I will pick up any that I come across. 

Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things.

I have yet to read anything by Arundhati Roy, so I am eager to dive into this one, as it is long overdue. 

Larry McMurtry, Leaving Cheyenne.

I love Larry McMurtry, and recently finished the Lonesome Dove saga when I read Dead Man’s Walk. I’ve since been wanting to branch out to his other work, and don’t really know where to start, so I suppose this will be it. I know nothing about this, so it will be interesting to see if I like it as much as the Lonesome Dove series, as that is a high bar. 

Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses.

Cormac is my favorite author, and I have re-read all of his books multiple times at this point. A while back I let some friend or other borrow my copy of All the Pretty Horses, and life happened so I can’t even remember who has it at this point. I was glad to get another copy of this, and I have been wanting to re-read the Border Trilogy soon. 

Janice Emily Bowers, Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Deserts.

Shrubs and trees always were a weak spot for me in my field work, and I figured now is as good a time as any to work on ameliorating that. No idea if this book is worth a damn, but I guess I’ll find out.