I don't have any Christmas records ripped to my computer. This post has more to do with my fascination at Obama's top advisor sharing names with one of the greatest American composer's every than it does with Christmas, but maybe in some alternate universe this would get played around the holidays everywhere. Or something. Whatever. Bah humbug.
Fresh off last week's beat swap meet got lots of goods to push at you. First up are a few sort of left field krautrock tracks from a bunch of normal Germans known as Kraan. Get past the Dave Matthews intro of the first one here and its worth it. 'Die Maschine' delivers on the acid cover art (also check out the pair of Avatars on the back), and 'Degado' is too easy to pass up.
Can't find much in the way of details on this - these tracks are from a cassette from 1981 where the only English is a song title - DISCO. The second one seems to be at least vaguely related to this Ray Kennedy track, but I haven't gotten much farther than that. In fact I'm only vaguely sure these are being sung in Japanese. If you or somebody you know can understand the lyrics, or if you yourself made these tracks, get at me.
I think fifty foot women might have some trouble keeping up with angular punk funk basslines like this, but then again there has to be music that suits them better than it does the rest of us.
Not the only place you'll findthese, but I finally ripped my copy of this album so if you don't know, get knowing. If you need any motivation, one of these guys taught Michael Jackson the moonwalk.
Today's music is not music. In fact, according to the authoring Muzak Corporation it is:
"... a non-entertainment medium, employing rhythm, tempo instrumentation, etc., to scientifically determined specifications... In work situations, independent studies have documented the effectiveness of Muzak programs in improving employee attitude, efficiency and productivity. In commercial applications, special Muzak programs are employed to create environmental conditions conducive to improved customer relations and profits... Because it is a non-entertainment medium employing music only as the raw material of its service, Muzak is universally accepted and effective in a ll countries in which it operates.
So there you go. By the time you've made your way through these tracks either I'll have gotten richer or you'll have gotten a step up on whatever it is you don't do when your reading this. Now get back to work.
Slow jam this evening from the The Movies' fifth album India. According to what I guess could be called a tributesite:
There were computers. Funny things like Commodore Pets, and mini-computers that were plugged into mixing desks and made the faders go up and down. Fun to play with, but producers and engineers usually trusted their ears.
Except for a class of producer that was rare then. This was the guy who would throw into the pot his collection of sampled sounds. Listen, here's the snare sound I stole off a Bowie album. Good, isn't it? No need to spend hours setting up a drum sound. I've got it all here in my briefcase. Very efficient. Very dull.
The Movies stopped when this sort of thing was coming in. It was exhaustion. They'd spent months in New York on the final album, and the spirit had gone. Their bodies followed.
Reaching back to the dead of winter, Burlington, Iowa, 1984 for a couple golf course flyover bangers from Mark Moore's Hiway Hypnosis, released in '86. Straight from the jacket:
This album had been a labor of love in making music; but moreso, it is a labor of love in reaching you, and bringing enjoyment into your life.
Word. And if those doesn't get you going, ride out on this bonus:
October rolling in and it's getting spooky how little musak there's been to be found around here, but coming back in a major way with a couple of tracks from Giorgio Moroder's score to the 1978 film Midnight Express which, among other things featured an Oliver Stone screenplay. I'm still looking for I don't enjoy about these tracks. For now the fact that every movie I watch can't include them somewhere tops the list. I guess theOscarprobably makes up for that.
"If this group makes it I'll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don't want to hear any more." That's how the Mellisa Mills Rolling Stone review of the 1970 debut, Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble from today's suspects began. Not sure if she took them up on it, but they certainly held up their end of the agreement. Brits would have to wait until the '71 release Salisbury for this one, though for us on the best side of Atlantic the first album flew under the considerably less phonetic title Uriah Heep.
This one goes out to all the Cantonese comment bots creeping around my blogger account. Rising from the ashes of an older group The Loosers (no joke), the group launched itself into the Hong Kong teenosphere with their 1974 debut Listen to the Wynners. The album marked the beginning of a wynnyng streak that would spill over into television, with The Wynners Specials, and three motion pictures, including Let's Rock, the soundtrack to which features today's tracks. According to freetranslation.com the first one translates to 'The Together'. Mark another one in the W column.
Keeping things evil deep in the midst of another summer afternoon with a few Psychic TV tracks from the turn of the late 80s into the 90s. This is when Mr. Orridge, along with a slew of other artists and engineers were putting out music under not only the PTV moniker, but a bunch of fake names in an attempt to create a sort of shadow acid house scene in the UK. Today's first two definitely fit that bill, but that last one is the part of an acid trip where you can't use the bathroom because you're convinced there are zombies coming up out of the shower next to you. Cheers.
Caravan music today from Tuxedomoon, recorded in '82 with the help of a couple Moroccans - Khessassi Mohemmed on the oud, and Miri Mohammed on the derbooka. Get outside this weekend.
I know when I'm beat at my own game. Today's post is best left to prog-folk specialistSean Trane as hecommentson Dance, the Arthur Brown album whence today's tracks arose:
Definitely more of directionless pop album with soul and reggae tracks. He was a little lost by then! This album might be the weakest from one of the more interesting singer of the early 70's, the problem is that we are now in the mid-70's and things are not the same. Best avoided unless you are a real fan!
As Carrie Latet once said, one man's quiet is another man's din. See you next time.
Not to be confused with the Italiancondiment design innovators of the same name, Alessi consists of Billy and Bobby Alessi. Like a couple of other artists who've graced the pages of this site they're probably best remembered for theircontribution to the Ghostbustersmovie, but today I present a couple of tracks from their 1978 effort Driftin'. The first one sounds like it could have gotten the Justice remix treatment, the second one has an intro that could be an out take from one of thoseTomita classical synth reinterpretation albums.
So there you go. If you're not into the tracks, switch gears back to theAlessi catalogueand get yourself something nice.
Shout out to Baby Grandpafor beating me to the punch on this one, but these songs are too easy to listen to and I've been sitting on this since I turned a little paper into a lot of vinyl at the beginning of July. These guys started out in Baltimore under the name Inner Visions in 1975, but made the switch to Pockets before moving out to LA. Apparently it was as small then as it is today as in no time they were recording for Earth, Wind and Fire's label Kalimba, and warming up crowds waiting to hear 'September'. Checking the calendar we've only just entered August, so hold off and check these out.
Long time no see but back for more with a couple Tower of Power bangers from theAbe 'Voco' Keshcompiled Lights Out: San Francisco. Manning the helm of his radio show of the same name, Kesh was a don of the SF funk, rock, blues etc. scene, turning listeners on to people like Harvey Mandeland Blue Cheer. Definitely would be all over the Hype Machine if he'd been kickin around a few decades later. Anyway enjoy what will hopefully return to your semi daily anachronism, and get bonding with your parents over Tower of Power.
Money in the bank funk from Mr. Earland and Co this morning - guitar from the first minute or so of Reveletion sounds like something that might end up in ofthis guy'sbeats, while the first one will groove up and down your spine. Get em' while they're hot.
Backed by Little Feat, we've got the amazing Kathy Dalton delivering a perfect piece of summer caravanning music, replete with vocal intricacies, smashing & rending percussion and firelight 12-string. Engineered and remixed by sound magician Kerry McNabb in his secret laboratories at Paramount Studies here in SoCal - I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.
If you should find yourself in the Echo Park/Silverlake/Los Feliz etc. tri state area get over to Pehrspace tomorrow night. I'll be spinning all the hits betweeen:
Cutting the sabbatical short coming back at you with more Greek characters than a calc book, not the least of which the man behind the today's music, the archangel of Crete - Nikos Xiloyris. No doubt the guy can shred it on thelyra, but these arrangements don't stop there. Step away from the drum pads and let them play out.
Starting off the fireworks a little early this year, I've decided to celebrate the Fourth of July with three of the Frenchest tracks currently on my hardrive. These also happen to be three tracks of the tracks about which I know the least. I can't find anything about this record anywhere, and I'm not even sure the artist is actually Patof. I'm about 30% sure it isn't Superpatof. Judging from the cover artI thought maybe 'patof' is French for clown. Nope. It's just clown. Or maybe bouffon. Anyway music for in between the marches this Fourth.
Three slabs of stiff, upright funk coming at you today from Christiane F. aka Vera Christiane Felscherinow probably aka at least a couple others if you happened to be hanging around Bahnhof Zoo, the rendezvous point of choice for many a junkie and prostitute in mid 70's Berlin. Born in Hamburg, at an early age Christiane moved with her family to the concrete high rises of Gropiusstadt in West Berlin. By age 12 she had started smoking hash, and by 14 she was on the street. After interviews with Christiane for an expose of the drug scene ran past their expected duration of two hours to two months, a series of articles appeared in news magazine Stern. Later a narrative book, Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, partially ghost written and incorporating input from witnesses such as Christiane's mother would appear. The book provided the basis for a movie, Christiane F. in English speaking countries, Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo for German speakers, directed by Uli Edel and scored by David Bowie, Christiane's favorite singer.
Posts
