$1 Bin: A Man and A Woman OST

Genre: Pop/Jazz/Soundtrack

Buy: Discogs

In Less Than 10 Words: French New Wave dancing and snapping will ensue.

Top Tracks: Un Homme Et Une Femme, Samba Saravah, Aujourd'hui C'est Toi, Plus Fort Que Nous

While flipping through those $1 bins you may or may not stumble upon this bright pink treasure. Even if you have or have not seen the movie, you'll probably recognize the title track, Un Homme Et Une Femme, in either it's instrumental or vocal version. It was nominated for an Oscar for best original song and is used in numerous commercials in Finland. Co-Writer of the film, Pierre Barouh, who also played the deceased husband, sings on the track Samba Saravah, which is a cover of a Brazilian song Samba da Bencao (written by Baden Powell). Much like OST, the music ranges from the different moods that film goes through. You will find intensity and drama with the instrumental Aujourd'hui C'est Toi, while in the vocal version you will find beauty with the lounge singing. If you are a movie buff or are just looking for some great world music, this is a perfect find for a $1. Check it out.

Happy Hunting!

Pair with:

An obvious choice, check out the movie. You won't be able to find it streaming on Amazon or Netflix, but you can rent it for $2.99 on Google Play.

Gil Scott-Heron - Nothing New

Spoken word jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron has been an influence to many artists. I remember seeing him at Coachella '10 and then LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy dedicated Losing My Edge to him as we all screamed his name in unison. I will definitely cover his other albums down the line, but I wanted to talk about the RSD '14 release. Nothing New contains stripped down versions of his songs. It's a great intro album into his works, may he rest in peace.

The album is a XL Recordings release, the studio that put out Gil Scott-Heron's last studio album I'm New Here. It contains him doing re-recordings of stripped down renditions of his old songs with just him on the piano. It's hard to describe each song, as they are all soulful jazzier renditions of their original counterparts, filled with sorrow, pain, and beauty. Instead, I will go over the origins of each song. Opening is Did You Hear What They Said off the album Free Will. Better Days Ahead is from Secrets. Your Daddy Loves You is off of Winter In America. Pieces of a Man is off his debut album of the same name. Alien (Hold On To Your Dreams) is from a collaboration with Brian Jackson called 1980. 95 South (All The Places We've Been) is off Bridges. The Other Side is from Spirits and Blue Collar is from Moving Targets. Included are great little interludes of conversations between takes that make the album feel a little more alive. You can take this album almost as an Acoustic compilation that doesn't just focus on the greatest hits like The Revolution Won't Be Televised or Home Is Where the Hatred Is.

While this album was a Record Store Day exclusive, you can still find it various record stores and online. Amazon has it from unofficial (non-amazon) sellers for around $30 and also on eBay for around $24. This album is perfect for a rainy day or reading a book, and it's also a great intro into Gil Scott-Heron. 

$1 BIN MONDAY: War - Why Can't We Be Friends

Rock, Jazz, Funk, R&B, and Reggae. These are the many genres that War can fall in to. While they have a vast discography, Why Can't We Be Friends is a great $1 bin find and great intro to War. As you can see, my copy is less then pristine, the gold tooth is more a scratched off grey, and didn't come with the Poster. But it plays amazing non-the-less.

Opening with Don't Let No One Get You Down, which is a sensual slow groove. Lotus Blossom is a even more soulful track. Heartbeat starts to picks things up and provides the classic War sound. Then is the transformative Leroy's Latin Lament which starts off soulful, but then explodes into a energetic latin jam, and then back again into a soulful piano and horn instrumental. Flipping to the B-Side is where the singles off the album shine. It starts off with the elevator-esque Smile Happy, which as far as waiting music goes, isn't half bad. Then the most powerful song on the album, So, which can get to  anyone who's been recently heartbroken. At this point you'll be saying, Oh the George Lopez theme. That's right Low Rider, which no matter how many times I've listened to it, still makes me picture George Lopez slow-mo jumping on a trampoline. In Mazatlan is another slow moving latin funk, maybe my least favorite track on the album to be honest. Ending it all is the ever so great Why Can't We Be Friends? which really needs no explanation on why it's great.

While there are definitely better War albums out there, this album is still pretty great and for only $1 is an awesome find. If you're a fan of funky sounds like Rick James or Sly & The Family Stone, you should definitely check out War. I found mine at the 99 cent sale at The Record Parlour in Hollywood, which is quite possibly my favorite record shop in LA.

Happy hunting.