Spring Crooning

Jon Lucien - Gaku (1976) (buy)



Jon Lucien - Spring's Arrival (1976) (buy)

Daylight saving's is in full effect, people are voluntarily running twenty six miles and my apartment has never been cleaner - spring is here in LA and who better to usher it in than Jon Lucien circa 1976? Apparently in Japanese music translates to 'ongaku', which breaks down into 'on' - sound, and 'gaku' - enjoyment, which just happens to be what this here blog is all about.

Anyway don't take my word for it. Get gakuing on the unbounded funkiness of the first track and the silky smooth male Nico vocals of the second.

Shameless Plug #4

If you're in the LA CA come out into the sunshine and check out KSCR fest today. Full set times here. I'll be spinning all the hits between Princeton and The Growlers.

Blood Brothers

Bloodstone - Keep Your Own Thing Together (1973) (buy)



Bloodstone - What Did You Do To Me? (Part 2) (1973) (buy)



Bloodstone - Outside Woman (1973) (buy)

Sorry for going Sunday to Sunday with no new ups but back at it with a vengeance here with a few bangers from Bloodstone's 1973 album Unreal. Definitely check the album artwork on that one, but only after you take in a couple of the sitar solos mingling with the more typical funkensoul elements. Apparently that's what happens when a band of doo wop kids runs away from Kansas City to London via Vegas as the 60's are giving way to the 70's.

Catch The Fever

Malaria! - Thrash Me (1983) (buy)



Malaria! - Dabo (1981) (buy)

Malaria! was a group of five German women who played music together for a few years in the early 80s. One of them, Gudrun Gut, would move on to Einsturzende Neubauten fame. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Ponty Scheme

Jean-Luc Ponty - A Taste For Passion (1979) (buy)



Jean Luc Ponty - Farewell (1979) (buy)



Jean Luc Ponty - Stay With Me (1979) (buy)

Color me prog. Three tracks today from the man who at one point had Zappa writing for him, Elton John waiting for him to call back, not to mention twelve top five solo albums to record while out on tour in 1975. No rest for the wicked.

Word To Your Village

Shadowfax - Snowline (1985) (buy)



Shadowfax - Another Country (1985) (buy)



Shadowfax - Shaman Song (1985) (buy)

Forget digging for soul or funk or old kung fu soundtracks - it's all old hat. For every four bars you want to slap over a beat Wikipedia can already name 14 songs that have done it, in chronological order.

Where then, one might ask, does one turn for new material? Well, friends, it doesn't get any newer than new age, and as far as new age goes it doesn't get any fresher than Shadowfax. These guys saw it coming - started in the early seventies in Chicago as a blues trio, dabbled a little in jazz and folk and bam - they found themselves in a group doubled in size going by the name of Ganfalf's horse.

Well, it just so happened that tonite, digging through a few piles I found myself a cassette copy of the band's 1985 album The Dreams of Children. Luckily I also found myself a cassette player with a couple of RCA outs, so grab a pillow and listen to the sound of tomorrow today.

Share The Blame

Delegation - Stand Up (Reach For The Sky) (1979) Boogie Business Edit



Mike Francis - Let's Not Talk About It (1984) (buy)

Special thanks on today's post goes out to Boogie Business, who's edit of Delegation's 1984 track 'Stand Up (Reach For The Sky)' has been on loop in my ears since last week. Slicker than the Exxon Valdez's wake, and there's plenty more where that came from. Check the Business's Myspace page and you'll find yourself smack dab in the middle of a hit parade of boogie nugs i.e. today's second track. I couldn't resist and neither should you.

Muzak

Gary Bartz - Music (1980) (buy)

Go forth towards the weekend.

Sight Unseen

Brother to Brother - Visions (1976) (buy)



Brother to Brother - Chance With You (1976) (buy)

Very little googling up about these guys so I'll just say the first one's creamy, the second one's chunky - either way you're getting a mighty tasty PB&J.