Vinyl Records at the Town Cafe

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Vinyl Records at the Town Cafe
by Alexis Andrews - December 22, 2008

A rare Ma Rainey record at the cafe

There is a nice little café which I frequent in town. It’s very cozy, and I can spend several hours just reading and working there, or listening to music. The place evokes the atmosphere of what might be a simple, homey and relaxing lodgers’ inn in, say, provincial England, but it doesn’t come without a touch of artistry, too. There are paintings, sculptures, and other memorabilia scattered tastefully around the place, as well as lines and frames of old vinyl records posted on the caramel walls; like in a record store, only they serve very good coffee and cinnamon rolls.

What are some of the vinyl records that can be found in the cafe? Well, there is a Nat King Cole record that’s actually very hard to find these days, called Penthouse Serenade. (Well, hard to find at least in the area where I live.) The album was released in 1952, by Capitol Records, and was reissued three years later in a 12 inch LP version. It is one of many classic instrumental jazz quartet Nat King Cole albums, and this one contains a set of standards played instrumentally at the piano by the legendary jazz musician. He may have one of the most memorable baritone voices ever, but Penthouse Serenade showcases the talent of Nat King Cole as a jazz pianist.

There is also a vinyl record of England Dan & John Ford Coley, the famous pop rock duo who scored six Top 40 singles from 1976 to 1979. The album on display at the café is Nights Are Forever, a 1976 studio album released by Bigtree Records. It comes with a cover picture of the two in their very 70s mullets and thick brown moustaches, but the eleven-track Nights Are Forever should be taken seriously for its music. It contains what might be the most popular England Dan & John Ford Coley single ever, entitled “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” – which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Also, the first of many Joni Mitchell vinyl records hang on the wall near the coffee bar. It is Song to a Seagull, Mitchell’s debut album, released in 1968 under the label Reprise. The cover art of the album is simply classic, and reminds me of a kind of Van Gogh painting; the elements which influenced Joni Mitchell to create this album are also classic, reflecting not only her love of classical but also her love of folk. While it’s not one of the most successful Joni Mitchell records ever, it has to be one of the most sought-after.

One of my favorite vinyl records posted on the walls of the café, however, has to be the one of pioneering blues singer, Ma Rainey: Black Bottom. I should think that this is one of the café owner’s rarest records, as Ma Rainey had made her first recordings as early as the 1920s, long before vinyl records became fashionable. She is also one of the leading figures who had popularized the blues genre, influencing such artists as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, and even Bob Dylan.

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