Nordine, Ken – “Stare With Your Ears” – [Snail Records]

Jack Diamond   2/3/2009   12-inch, A Library

The beatnik hipster’s howling’s of days gone by are traded in for more fleshed out storytelling and there’s an overall dark tone, both in subject matter and backing music, except for “Alphabet” which is quite upbeat, funky and fun. Some of the music features Odell Brown on keyboards who made quite a name for himself releasing a few dynamite LP’s of his own of the ever so dope CADET rekkid label of the 1960’s, also out of Chicago, IL which is where Snail Records comes from, giving them that 70’s be as funky as you wanna be type of feel. Combined with Ken’s resonant voice, its great stuff for headphone listening and for your general all around pot smoking and beyond tripping, as most (if not all) Ken Nordine LP/CD recordings are.

Backing Vocals – Bonnie Herman , Bob Bowker
Bass – Doug Mazique , Thomas Kini
Drums, Percussion – Don Simmons , Tom Radtke
Guitar – Ron Kirk
Guitar, Written-By – Kristan Vaughan
Harmonica – Peter Ruth
Harp – Ed Druzinsky
Keyboards – Manfredo Fest
Narrator, Vocals – Ken Nordine
Organ – Odell Brown
Percussion – Alejo Poveda