2018.03.01: Pa-Dee-O-Lanterns

6-Players: M, J, K, W, G & Z
Location: Z
Choice: M
Game: Citadels

Game 1:

Player	Points
M	33
J	32
K	28
W	24
G	20
Z	11

Game 2:

Game = 7 Wonders

Player	Points
M	62
K	56
G	52
J	48
Z	48
W	46

Final Tally:

• M was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• J wins tiebreaker in game 2 (coins)
• Merits of soul funk pop jazz were debated
• Z complained about getting boned too often
• G complained about getting boned nearly as often
• K complained about J not following his advice
• J complained about how hard it was to remember to use his card each round
• W complained at the mere mention of reggae
• M complained about actually having to listen to rikki dont lose that number

Music:

Steely Dan: The Royal Scam plus RDLTN from Pretzel Logic (1976 and 1974)
Various Artists: Look Into the Flower Trip On Psychedelic Grooves With Blue Note (2002)
Various Artists: The Best Funky Jazz of the 70s (2014)

2017.09.21: The Actual Scores

4-Players: K, W, M & Sc
Location: W
Choice: M
Game: Caverna

Game 1:

Player	Points
K	86
W	63
M	55
Sc	47

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

Music:

David Bowie: Greatest Hits (Unkn)
The Who: Greatest Hits (Unkn)
Queen: Greatest Hits (Unkn)

2017.05.18: Scream Thy Last Scream

4-Players: M, K, G & W
Location: W
Choice: M
Game: Belfort

Game 1:

Player	Points
M	41
K	40
G	37
W	32

Final Tally:

• M was declared this week's winner!

high quality reproductions

Game Notes:

• Included optional rules from expansion:
• new guild cards
• skip the first month and start at one tax

Music:

Chris Cornell: Keen's mixtape ()

2017.03.02: Burning 4 U

7-Players: J, W, G, M, Z, F & K
Location: K
Choice: M
Game: 7 Wonders + Cities Expansion

Game 1:

Player	Points
J	69
W	56
G	55
M	52
Z	49
F	45
K	44

Game 2:

Player	Points
K	71
Z	69
G	67
F	56
W	55
J	48
M	35

Final Tally:

Player	Points
G	122
Z	118
J	117
K	115
W	112
F	101
M	87

• G was declared this week's winner!



Game Notes:

• Some errors during the first game left some players wanting a restart
• Memorable quotes:
• M: This whole game is stupid
• Chez 106 all night
• G: A song will play and when it does u will all know the name of the band.
• Game takes as long as it takes

Music:

Jim Bryson: Somewhere we will find our place (2016)
Robert Randolph: Crush (2015)
Blue Oyster Cult: Essential Greatest Hits (2003)

2016.12.29 Duck the Halls

4-Players: K, W, M & Z
Game: Tzolk'in
Location: K
Choice: M

Game One:

Player	Points
K	43
Z	39
M	36
W	21

Bonus Game (7 Wonders Duel)

Player	Points
K	62
W	61

Final Tally:

• K was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

Music:

Xavier Rudd: Spirit Bird (2012)

Seeker Lover Keeper: Seeker Lover Keeper (2011)

Soundgarden: compilation by K

Rusty: Fluke (1995)

2016.11.10 And Then There Were Three

6-Players: W, K, M, J, Z & G
Game: Citadels

Location: W

Choice: M

Game One:

Player	Points
M	29
Z	28
K	27
J	24
W	19
G	14

Final Tally:

• M was declared this week's winner!

Bonus Game (Contagion):

Player	Points
W	33
K	28
Z	25
G	21

Bonus Game Two (7 Wonders):

Player	Points
W	58
K	51
G	42

Music Notes:

Tricky: Maxinquay (1995)
DJ Shadow: The Mountain Will Fall (2016)
Röyksopp: Melody A.M. (2001)
The Rolling Stones: A Brussels Affair (Recorded 1973)

2016.04.14 The Thursday After

5-Players: K, Si, JT, Z, W & G
Game: Terra Mystica
Location: W
Choice: M


Game One:


Player	Points
Si	96
W	77
G	76
Z	75
M	67

Final Tally:

• Si was declared this week's winner!

board at game end

Game Notes:

Player	Race
Si	Nomads
W	Darklings
G	Giants
Z	Engineers
M	Cultists

Music Notes: 

• Grateful Dead: Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead (Recorded 1972)

A fine collection of live tracks all culled from the same tour of jolly old England in the spring of 1972.

Tracks        Cold Rain and Snow [6:02]
Greatest Story Ever Told [6:00]
Mr. Charlie [3:52]
Sugaree [7:34]
Mexicali Blues [3:31]
Big Boss Man [6:28]
Deal [5:52]
Jack Straw [5:19]
Big Railroad Blues [4:27]
Hurts Me Too [6:07]
China Cat Sunflower --> [5:06]
I Know You Rider [6:02]
Playin' In the Band [10:10]

Good Lovin' [20:00]
Ramble On Rose [6:42]
Black-Throated Wind [6:07]
Sitting On Top of the World [3:30]
Comes A Time [6:38]
Turn On Your Lovelight [13:02]
Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad [8:23]
Not Fade Away --> [4:54]
Hey Bo Diddley --> [4:30]
Not Fade Away [3:06]

Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu [5:15]
Black Peter [8:53]
Chinatown Shuffle [2:49]
Truckin' --> [10:14]
Drums --> [2:44]
The Other One --> [19:31]
El Paso --> [4:48]
The Other One --> [8:20]
Wharf Rat [10:49]
One More Saturday Night [4:57]

Uncle John's Band [7:21]
The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion) [7:35]
Dark Star [31:28]
Sugar Magnolia [7:16]
Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) [17:16]
Brokedown Palace [7:02]

2016-01-05 This one's a keyper

6-Players: W, K, Si, Sc, M & G
Game: Keyflower
Location: W
Choice: M

Game One:

Player	Points
G	62
K	62
Sc	47
Si	42
M	40
W	21

Final Tally:

The game rules state that in the event of a tie, the two players should play again to break the tie. No winner declared, yet.

[Edit: A winner was determined in a subsequent play (Jan 09, 2016) . The winner was G.]

Game Notes:

• First play through of new xmas game
• Very enjoyable and playable though we stayed a bit late (midnight) just to finish. Once we know the game it's definitely going to be a playable option for schoolnights
• It took some getting used to the orientation of the tiles and how to play our key-ples but we were all used to it by the time winter came around.

Music Notes:

The Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol 13 (2015, recorded on February 24, 1974 at the Winterland Arena in San Francisco)

"Dark Star"> "Morning Dew" "Sugar Magnolia"> "Not Fade Away" > "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad"> "Not Fade Away" Encore:"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"

Frank Zappa: Hot Rats (1969)

First one without the Mothers. Rock-Jazz fusion that smokes. Features Capt'n Beefheart on madness but it's the instrumental pieces of this album that make it one of my all time favourites. It's got it all down: from dirty blues riffs to tightly orchestrated pieces that can draw tears.

Various Artists: Acid Jazz on the Rocks Vol 3 (2012)

Shameless cash-in after the success of the previous volumes from the small label. Same artists with different tunes/remixes. Still fun to listen to.

2015-11-05 Remember, remember

6 Players: Si, J, W, G, M & DT
Game: 7 Wonders
Location: Si
Choice: M

Game One:

 

Player	Points
W	62
G	56
Si	55
J	55
M	46
DT	40

Game Two:

Player	Points
G	55
M	52
J	51
W	43
Si	39
DT	38

Final Tally:

Player	Points
G	111
J	106
W	105
M	98
Si	93
DT	78

Game Notes:

• Welcome our ex-patriot DT back to the table for a special night. Hopefully, he'll be back in town again for xmas gaming.
• There was much derision directed at Maceo Parker until the second side tracks started up and players started to change their initial impression and began to enjoy the not-at-all-Kenny-G-like sounds coming from Si's space age stereo.
• Once again, M overcame unyielding temptation and avoided eating even a single tasty, tasty potato chip.

Music Notes:

The Kinks - Kink Size (1965)
The Kinks - Kinkdom (1965)

[Notes from Rising Storm] “Kinks-Size” and “Kinkdom” were not official album releases, but like the Great Lost Album they were American label releases containing excellent material and superior track line-ups.

Kinks-Size was released in March of 1965 by Reprise in order to capitalize on the big albumless hits, Tired of Waiting For You and All Day And All Of The Night. Louie Louie, I Gotta Go Now, Things Are Getting Better, and I’ve Got That Feeling came from the British EP “Kinksize Session” (clearly an inspiration for this album’s title), while I’m A Lover Not A Fighter and I Gotta Move were originally on the All Day EP. I’m A Lover and Revenge were shelved cuts from the “Kinks” debut. Come On Now was a track from their upcoming 2nd official album “Kinda Kinks.”



Kinkdom was released in November of 1965, three months after Kinda Kinks. This release comprised tracks from the British EP “Kwyet Kinks” (A Well Respected Man, Such A Shame, Wait Till The Summer Comes Along, Don’t You Fret) as well as some of the best unreleased (in the US) British singles (Never Met A Girl Like You Before, See My Friends, Who’ll Be The Next In Line, It’s Alright). Naggin’ Woman was an unreleased cut from the UK edition of “Kinda Kinks,” and Louie Louie is repeated from “Kinks-Size,” an inexplicable move by Reprise.

These albums best represent the scorching sound of the early Kinks, appropriately ravaged by Shel Talmy’s untrained production style with songwriting strong enough to bolster the genius of Ray Davies. Don’t waste your money on incomplete box sets. Nothing the Kinks recorded should be considered extraneous.

Maceo Parker - Roots Revisited (1990)

[Notes from SputnikMusic] Maceo Parker is a funk monster. He started his career playing saxophone for James Brown. He left the Godfather of Soul to join none other than George Clinton and the legendary Parliament, before going back with James Brown and later on Bootsy Collin’s own band...

His energy is very noticeable on the faster paced funk songs, as he tears through a cover of Ray Charles’ “Them That Got” with a smile on his face. But I particularly appreciate his touch on the ballad, “Children’s World,” which is much more of a departure from Parker’s normal style...

Bootsy Collins helps his old band mate on bass for the CD, and he too holds back his funk to hold down the rhythm section with classic walking bass lines. The organ, Don Pullen, sets a very moody scene in my favorite song “Children’s World” with two simple, melancholy chords, along with two guitar chords from Rodney Jones. From there Maceo catapults and puts out an amazing bluesy ballad. Parker doesn’t overplay at all during the song, feeling out his supporting band. He shuts up at just the right moments before awing the audience again with his playing. 
The National - High Violet (2010)

[Notes from AllMusic] The National have worn a lot of hats since their 2001 debut, but they’ve never been able to shake the rural, book-smart, quiet malevolence of the Midwest. The Brooklyn-groomed, Ohio-bred indie rock quintet’s fifth full-length album navigates that lonely dirt road where swagger meets desperation like a seasoned tour guide, and while it may take a few songs to get going, there are treasures to be found for patient passengers. The National's profile rose considerably after 2007’s critically acclaimed The Boxer, and they have used that capital to craft a flawed gem of a record that highlights their strengths and weaknesses with copious amounts of red ink. High Violet oozes atmosphere, but moves at a snail’s pace. The Cousteau-esque “Terrible Love” hardly bursts out of the gate, and the subsequent “Sorrow” and “Anyone’s Ghost” (despite Bryan Devendorf’s locomotive drumming) lack the hooks to reel anybody in on first listen. The album begins to take shape on “Afraid of Everyone,” a slow-build midtempo rocker that expertly utilizes the Clogs’ (guitarist Bryce Dessner's other chamber pop band) prickly orchestrations, but it’s the punishing “Bloodbuzz Ohio” that serves as High Violet's centerpiece. Built on a foundation that fuses together TV on the Radio's “Halfway Home” and Arcade Fire's “No Cars Go,” its refrain of “I still owe money to the money, to the money I owe” seems both relevant and nostalgic, resulting in a highway anthem that feels like the anti-“Born to Run.” Other standout cuts like “Conversation 16,” “England," and the darkly funny/oddly beautiful closer, “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks,” trumpet Violet’s second-half supremacy, but even they tremble beneath the "Bloodbuzz" intoxication. Muscular, miserable, mighty, and meandering, High Violet aims for the seats, but only hits about half of them.

2015-09-24 Queen of the Stone Age

Stone Age Style

5 Players: W, J, M, G, K


Stylin'!

Game: Stone Age: Style is the Goal expansion
Choice: M
Location: W

Game One
K (140 pts), G (130 pts), J (118 pts), M (114 pts) & W (107 pts)

Final Tally:
K was declared this week's queen victor

Game Notes:

• "Losty keeps his tool intact"
• other name suggestions: Spacey/Toony/Tuney/Losty/Dopey

Music Notes:

 

Augustus Pablo: East of the River Nile (1977)

 

[Notes from RollingStone.com] Dub music might be the most accurate-ever musical translation of stoned brainwaves. In the hands of Augustus Pablo, who transformed his signature instrument, the melodica, from kindergarten singalong helper to the sonic equivalent of an indica-packed ice bong, dub reached its most sublime heights. This instrumental set is his chill-out masterpiece, with productions by dub's two grandmasters, King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry, along with grooves by a Seventies reggae A-team and occasional vocal fragments that surface like half-formed thoughts before slipping away again. Potent.

 

 

ZZTop: Tres Hombres (1973)

 

[Notes from AllMusic.com] Tres Hombres is the record that brought ZZ Top their first Top Ten record, making them stars in the process. It couldn't have happened to a better record. ZZ Top finally got their low-down, cheerfully sleazy blooze-n-boogie right on this, their third album. As their sound gelled, producer Bill Ham discovered how to record the trio so simply that they sound indestructible, and the group brought the best set of songs they'd ever have to the table. On the surface, there's nothing really special about the record, since it's just a driving blues-rock album from a Texas bar band, but that's what's special about it. It has a filthy groove and an infectious feel, thanks to Billy Gibbons' growling guitars and the steady propulsion of Dusty Hill and Frank Beard's rhythm section. They get the blend of bluesy shuffles, gut-bucket rocking, and off-beat humor just right. ZZ Top's very identity comes from this earthy sound and songs as utterly infectious as "Waitin' for the Bus," "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "Move Me on Down the Line," and the John Lee Hooker boogie "La Grange." In a sense, they kept trying to remake this record from this point on -- what is Eliminator if not Tres Hombres with sequencers and synthesizers? -- but they never got it better than they did here.

 

Jerry Garcia Band: Don't Let Go (2001, Recorded May 21, 1976)

 

[Notes from AllMusic.com] During the 20-month hiatus that the Grateful Dead took from the road, lead guitarist Jerry Garcia began fronting and touring with one of the premier cover bands of the time. Don't Let Go captures this powerhouse rhythm section in the intimate confines of San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre only a few weeks prior to the Dead's resuscitation. This all-star incarnation of the Jerry Garcia Band includes Dead members Keith Godchaux on piano and Donna Jean Godchaux on vocals. Since the late '50s, Bay area bassist John Kahn had been performing with the likes of blues legends John Lee Hooker, Michael Bloomfield, and Nick Gravenites. Kahn remained with the band until they disbanded following Garcia's death in August of 1995. Ron Tutt, while perhaps best remembered as Elvis Presley's favorite drummer, has also performed on more Top 40 singles and albums than almost any other drummer -- the notable exception being Hal Blaine. This band is about infectious rhythms and soul. Garcia plays with an energy and freedom of spirit which he rarely achieved during his final two decades with the Grateful Dead. This was likely due, at least in part, to the encyclopedic catalog of material -- drawing from such disparate sources as Allen Toussaint's "I'll Take a Melody," J.J. Cale's "After Midnight," and Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door." The band uses the structure of each song as a platform for their unique brand of instinctual aural acrobatics. The interplay amongst the instrumental quartet is best described as inspired telepathy. For instance, between the verses of Hank Ballard's "Tore Up Over You" the rhythmic pockets left by Garcia's incendiary guitar leads are filled in with a swing time precision and grace that harkens back to Benny Goodman or Duke Ellington's orchestra. Don't Let Go is highly recommended for the curious enthusiast as well as the insatiable Deadhead.

 

Morcheeba: Parts of the Process (2003)

 

[Notes from AllMusic.com] Parts of the Process reflects on five albums and seven years for the London trip-hop act Morcheeba. This stunning 18-track set isn't chronologically arranged, but all the hits and staples are here. Morcheeba loyalists may be slightly disappointed by the exclusion of "Who Can You Trust?" but overall, Parts of the Process captures the beauty of Morcheeba. Big Calm seems to be the major album represented with "The Sea," "Over and Over," "Let Me See," and the song for which this album is named, "Parts of the Process." Other amazing tracks from the band's first release, Who Can You Trust? -- "Tape Loop" and the brooding chill of "Trigger Hippie" -- make this album more complete. But other select cuts are equal in style and still appeal. Cuts from the less popular Charango album add a bit of flair to Morcheeba's sophisticated catalog, especially "What New York Couples Fight About." Even the stormy narrative "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day," from Fragments of Freedom, is chalked in. Those who found Morcheeba's 2001 Back to Mine collection crucial to the band's body of work shouldn't distress; that album doesn't really fit with the direction of this collection. Instead, the trio treats listeners to two brand-new tracks. Big Daddy Kane joins Morcheeba for the funkadelic, hip-hop groove "What's Your Name," while "Can't Stand It" is the band's attempt at chamber pop. While Morcheeba isn't one of the more exclusive acts of British electronic music, they've assessed their power as artists. Parts of the Process is well-suited for those unfamiliar with the band, while still tailored for those faithful followers, too.

totally realistic depiction of stone age fashion

 

 

 

 

2015.05.28 Rolling Stone Age

most embarrassing name in boardgaming



5 Players: G, W,  M, Si, J

Game: Stone Age + Style is the Goal Expansion
Location: G
Choice: M


 

Game One:

Si(117pts), G(114pts), J(86pts), W(70pts) & M(64pts)

 

Final Tally:

Si was declared victor for this week.

 

Notes:




• Game was called early due to time
• Non-canon game this Saturday at Si's 

 

 

 Music Features (with notes from AllMusic.Com unless noted)

Stanton Moore: III (2006)



Maple Plank is the seventh song on the album

...These are future funk grooves made by basic instrumentation from the past. Moore's always been about shakin' it down, but in the past his sense of syncopation and adventurous instrumental dictates won out over solid, in-the-pocket funkifying. That's not to say that All Kooked Out! and its predecessor, Flyin' the Koop, weren't good records...hell, they were great. But they were complex jazz and soul studies, whereas III is nothing but greasy...

...As a bandleader, Moore's got it all: he has the right players for whatever he might attempt, and this is the finest example of that yet. It's from the heart, and it's got all the sass, spit, vinegar, and laughter that the great soul-jazz records of old had, and proves that the format isn't done by a long shot.

Highlight for G: Instrumental cover of When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin).
 



The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed (1969)

Mostly recorded without Brian Jones -- who died several months before its release (although he does play on two tracks) and was replaced by Mick Taylor (who also plays on just two songs) -- this extends the rock and blues feel of Beggars Banquet into slightly harder-rocking, more demonically sexual territory...

...some of the songs are among their very best, especially "Gimme Shelter," with its shimmering guitar lines and apocalyptic lyrics; the harmonica-driven "Midnight Rambler"; the druggy party ambience of the title track; and the stunning "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which was The Stones' "Hey Jude" of sorts, with its epic structure, horns, philosophical lyrics, and swelling choral vocals. "You Got the Silver" (Keith Richards' first lead vocal) and Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," by contrast, were as close to the roots of acoustic down-home blues as The Stones ever got.



 

CSNY: 4-Way Street (1971)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had come out of Woodstock as the hottest new music act on the planet, and followed it up with Deja Vu, recorded across the second half of 1969 and released in March of 1970, supported by a tour in the summer of that year. As it happened, despite some phenomenal music-making, the tour was fraught with personal conflicts, and the quartet split up upon its completion. And 4 Way Street followed, released in April of 1971: a live double-LP set, chock-full of superb music distilled down from a bunch of nights on that tour that more than fulfilled the promise of the group. Indeed, contained on those original four LP sides was the embodiment of everything great that the unique ethos behind this group -- which was not a "group" but four individuals working together -- might have yielded. Each of the participants got to show off a significant chunk of his best work, whether presented alone or in tandem with the others, and the shared repertory -- "Long Time Gone," "Ohio" etc. -- binding it all together as more than a documentary of some joint appearances. Conceptually it was all as diffuse as the concept behind the group, but musically, 4 Way Street was one of the great live rock documents of its time, a status it retains along with such touchstones as the Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East, the live half of the Cream's Wheels of Fire, and the Grateful Dead's Live/Dead; some of the extended guitar jams between Stills and Young ("Southern Man") go on longer than strict musical sense would dictate, but it seemed right at the time, and they capture a form that was far more abused in other hands after this group broke up. Although Neil Young and Stephen Stills had the advantage of the highest wattage on their songs and their jams together, David Crosby and Graham Nash more than manage to hold their own, not only with some strong and distinctive songs, but also a strong case that less could be more; they reached the more introspective members of their audience, mostly individually, while Stills and Young wowed the crowds collectively. The double-CD version adds more acoustic material by each of the participants, which gives a fuller picture of what they were all about musically -- Nash's acoustic rendition of "King Midas in Reverse" doesn't slot in too easily next to the earthier Crosby, Stills & Young originals, but it also adds a welcome British psychedelic pop interlude to the proceedings. The essentials of the original album are all intact, and all in better sound.

 



Neil Young: Live at the Fillmore East (recorded 1970, released 2006)

so when is Miles Davis playing?

[From PopMatters.com] There is considerable controversy surrounding this anxiously awaited release. For Neil Young fans, this is an unexpected gift—a live show of the first, short-lived incarnation of Crazy Horse in all their ragged glory. For Neil Young freaks, this is an overdue, unconscionably abbreviated version of a two-night stand at the Fillmore East that has long been legend. The verdict? For anyone who enjoys good music, this is a no brainer that comes heartily recommended, period.