1. The Scratch 2. Hip Like Junk 3. M.I.A. 4. Derailed 5. Cats Meow 6. Rock A Bye 7. It's Too Late 8. Damn Good And Well 9. Kiss My Ass Goodbye 10. Icy Blue 11. Get Lit
The Big F is a rock trio born out of the split of Berlin and featuring guitarist Mark Christian, bassist/singer John Shreve (aka John Crawford) and drummer Rob Donin (aka Rob Brill). The Big F is essentially Berlin, without the chick singing. But the
music is much, much harder. Though nowhere near as slamming as their
self-titled debut "Is" does contain some great songs with "Patience
Peregrine" the stand-out track. A hard-driving rhythm section pounds
behind anguished vocals and non-linear guitar playing to create a sound
so original no one wanted to hear it. With their albums long out of
print, used bins at record stores are about the only place to track
their masterpieces down.
Track List:
1. Patience Peregrine 2. Way Low To Be Low 3. Wicked Thing 4. Mother Mary 5. Idiot Kid Heads Out 6. Gone Ancient 7. Mama Jame 8. Fefofi 9. Lube
Comsat Angels - Land (1983) Studio recordings @224 {Out Of Print}
The Comsat Angels, named after the J. G. Ballard story of the same name, were one of the original UK Post-Punk bands, and they had a prolific career spanning from 1978 to 1995 (with a brief reunion in 2009), where they have performed and tour with U2, Depeche Mode, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Gang of Four, and more.
Despite hailing from Sheffield and Doncaster, England, The Comsat Angels would later have a strong influence on many NYC Post-Punk revival bands such as Blacklist, Bell Hollow, and Interpol.
Track List: 1. Will You Stay Tonight 2. Alicia (Can You Hear Me) 3. A World Away 4. Independence Day 5. Nature Trails 6. Mister Memory 7. Island Heart 8. I Know That Feeling 9. As Above So Below
Since no one reads the comments...a contribution from Jonder!
The Fall - Fall In Reverse
{Compilation}
"Fall in Reverse" is a compilation that I made for Fall neophytes of
"hits" and personal favorites, starting in 2010 and going back three
decades to 1980. I think it makes a good introduction to the band. A
note for Fall fanatics: the first track is the single version of "Bury
(pts 2+4)", a 3:43 condensation of the album track "Bury (pts 1+3)",
Track 6 is Mark E Smith singing "I Want You" with the Inspiral Carpets,
and #18 is from a Peel Session.
1. The Wrong Foot In 2. Ain't Your Fool 3. In Way over My Head 4. Yo Yo String 5. What's the Buzz 6. Six Foot Blues 7. Boppin' at the Dog 8. Don't Think I Will 9. Whiskey Headed Woman 10. Dark Dark Side 11. Shake 'Em on Down 12. She Treats Me Bad 13. Do the Do
How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Fall starts and ends with
Hex Enduction Hour. It sure as hell doesn't start with the 458489
B-sides collection, like I once thought. "Hey, it's cheap, and it has
lots of songs, and it's two discs!" = bad move. If
you're new to the scene, and you want to know what the big deal is
about
this Fall group, proceed to Hex Enduction Hour post haste. But
don't just take the word of some bitter no-talent sweater-wearing
Pitchfork Media jerk. Renowned musicologist Courtney Love swears by
the
album's ramshackle opulence and vituperative charm. Even street thugs
like Hex Enduction Hour! Why, one went so far as to play catch with
my driver's side backseat window using a piece of concrete, just to get
a hold of a copy. --More at Pitchfork Thanks to the now dead
lagrimapsicodelica2.blogspot.com
Track List: The Classical Jawbone And The Air-Rifle Hip Priest Fortress / Deer Park Mere Pseud Mag. Ed. Winter (Hostel-Maxi) Winter 2 Just Step S'ways Who Makes The Nazis? Iceland And This Day
Recorded and mixed by Matt Labozza on 11/25/2012 at Studio G in
Brooklyn, New York. Mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service
in Chicago, Illinois.
Somewhere between the fuzzed, introspective
musings of the Smashing Pumpkin's "Gish" and the frenzied, driven
Post-Hardcore drive of Helmet's "Meantime" lies Hum's 1993 album,
Electra 2000. Existing in that gray area of not-quite Grunge but not
yet fully Shoegaze either, "Electra" finds Hum in a refreshingly raw
state that defies simple categorization as Mid-west Indie rock; a place
where those more familiar with Hum's Sophomore album, "You'd Prefer An
Astronaut", need approach with a healthy dose of caution.
Much
the way fans of Sunny Day Real Estate will bicker until 12/21/12 over
which of their four studio albums is the greatest record of all time,
The three records that comprise Hum's canon are so distinct and engaging
that a healthy argument could be made for each of them. If "Astronaut"
is Hum's most accessible record and "Downward Is Heavenward" their most
complex,"Electra 2000" is far and away their most aggressive. With
drums that pop more than they thunder and vocals that, even when
screamed, run parallel to and not above the instruments, this is Hum in
their most unproduced (read: unmolested) state. Fans of producers who
take a "hand's off" approach will appreciate the almost live feel this
album has.
Stan Ridgeway, formerly with Wall of Voodoo. Joined in the studio by Pietra Wexstun and Ivan Knight, it has everything that a good album should contain; chaos/noise, pop melodies, strange storytelling, and atmosphere. It opens with twisted blues, "Back Towards Diamond Bar" about driving with "a trunk of sin..." and ends with the Brian Eno/David Byrne inspired groove about a "Big American Problem".
In between is a noir soundtrack about the bottom of society. Stan's mix of nursery rhymes gone bad in "Bel Air Blues", his twisted tale about criminal losers in "New Blue Mercedes" and his take on sing-a-song-of- six-pence in "My Exclusive Sex Club" - whose lyrics include "will bake a dog and put it in a pie/ when the pie was open/ the dog began to bark..." all add up to an amazing album. By the time "Mr. Smith" hit the laser it seemed like it was about 3 am and the party was still rolling strong> Play this one back-to-back with 900 Ft. Jesus' Welcome To My Dream.
Track List: 1 Back Towards Diamond Bar 2 Police Call 3 New Blue Mercedes 4 Bel Air Blues 5 Hell In A Handbasket 6 Highway Song 7 Mr Smith 8 Time Wave Zero 9 Old Bent Coin 10 My Exclusive Sex Club 11 Triangle Head 12 Big American Problem
Drums, Percussion, Surfboard – Ivan Knight Keyboards, Vocals, Ouija Board Data – Pietra Wexstun Vocals, Guitar, Theater Organ, Panic Button – Stan Ridgway
Two ideas strike me hearing Gato Barbiari's work. The first is, the sheer passion in his playing. This is undeniable and I need say no more than advise you, strongly, to listen. The second is how is he not playing free jazz but is informed by the genre. When Barbiari was rising through the ranks, free was the order of the day, and if you want to hear him working in this context, check out Michael Mantler's 1968 Jazz Composers Orchestra, where Gato was one of the rising stars featured. Barbiari choose to go another direction: latin. Given his ethnicity this may seem predictable, but what he does with the music is not. This is no Jobim or Stan Getz template: if anything, Gato's sizzling music is rock informed: it has the propulsion of Santana or early Mandrel. The piece fits, as this master emerged full blown when rock had truly taken over the world.
~Bill F.
Track List:
1. Tupac Amaru
2. Carnavalito
3. Falsa Bahiana
4. El Dia Que Me Quieras
5. El Arriero
6. Bahia
Thanks to my buddy Mike A. for the link!
Some artists totally change directions; some reinvent their personalities. It is hard to know exactly what to make of the case of this Argentinian tenor saxophonist, who first appeared as a sideman on several extremely important Don Cherry projects, making such an essential contribution to the overall feel of these records that listeners expected great things. After a few attempts at finding a meeting place between the energy and harshness of free jazz and the his own rhythmic roots, he created this album in which everything seemed to come together perfectly. If a judgement is to be made based on Barbieri's overall career, then a lot of credit would be given to his accompanying musicians here, who are strictly the cream of the crop. A horn player certainly couldn't complain about a rhythm section featuring bassist Ron Carter, drummer Lenny White, and pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, the last fresh out of the band of Pharoah Sanders, where he had established himself as the absolute king of modal, vaguely Latin or African sounding vamps. Smith was able to fit right in here, and he of course knew just what to do when the saxophonist went into his screaming fits, because he surely had plenty of practice with this kind of stuff playing with Sanders. The leader adds a nice touch of ethnic percussion with some congas and bongos and Na Na on berimbau; in fact, this was the first time many American listeners heard this instrument. From here, Barbieri continued to build, reaching a height with a series of collaborations with Latin American musicians playing traditional instruments. He would then switch gears, tone down the energy, and become kind of a romantic image with a saxophone in his mouth, producing music that brought on insults from reviewers, many of whom would have bit their tongues if they'd known much worse sax playing was to come via later artists such as Kenny G. But at this point in 1971, well before the Muppets would create a caricature out of him, Barbieri was absolutely smoking, and for a certain style of rhythmic free jazz, this is a captivating album indeed.
~Eugene Chadbourne (allmusic.com)
You would think with 500 visitors in 1 day we could get at least 1 comment. =/
The History of the BIRD...
When the Romans imported
the art, music, and culture of the Greeks, the finger came along, too.
Roman Emperor Caligula, a pioneer in perversity, frequently shocked his
citizens by forcing them to kiss his middle finger instead of his hand.
One of his subjects, Cassius, who Caligula often taunted as being too
effeminate, finally had enough humiliation and assassinated him.
Clearly, the bird was not to be taken lightly.
Somewhat bizarrely, Beat received a large amount of critical buzz over its supposedly groundbreaking fusion of hip-hop/techno rhythms and the band's older dream pop stylings. Anyone who had heard Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine or a fair amount of Chapterhouse's material probably had some things to say about that judgment, while in turn many dance mavens saw the band's efforts as already terribly outdated in terms of general sonic approach. Set all this aside and concentrate on enjoying Beat in and of itself, though, and the fine qualities of both group and album come through quite clearly. Bowery Electric may not be on the cutting edge, but Schwendener and Chandler aren't pretending to dwell there. The title track sets the album's tone from the start, an open-ended guitar drone from Chandler later accompanied by Schwendener's low-key bass and distanced singing matched with a crisp drum loop. Variations on this basic formula throughout Beat: slight rhythms are sometimes more prominent, sometimes buried, guitar lines are clearer here or more heavily produced there -- but taken as a whole the release is quietly intoxicating. Standouts include "Fear of Flying," with a strong guitar scream/wash from Chandler and a more upfront bass/drum combination, and the thoroughly but beautifully zoned out "Black Light," which features a rare Chandler vocal and an enveloping delay-pedal-produced atmosphere. Notably, the drumming on the latter track is more in line with, say, early Pink Floyd or Slowdive rather than the loops used elsewhere. Both performers are incredibly undemonstrative throughout the album -- Beat works best as something either totally concentrated on or left running as ambient music; a party record this isn't. At times Bowery Electric eschew percussion entirely, to lovely effect: "Under the Sun" is a brief but dark piece, a low bassline providing the only forward motion.
~Ned Raggett
Track List:
1. Beat 2. Empty Words 3. Without Stopping 4. Under The Sun 5. Fear Of Flying 6. Looped 7. Black Light 8. Inside Out 9. Coming Down 10. Postscript 11. Untitled
Excellent compilation of Las Vegas Grind style R&B.
Set List: 1.Fried Onions - Lord Rockingham's XI 2.High Hat Rock - Rainbows 3.Juicy - Little Red Riders 4.Jelly Belly - Seventh Veil 5.Frat Party - Les Cooper 6.Fox, The - Ho-Dads 7.Desert Dance - Checkmates 8.Snake Charmer - Puddle Jumpers 9.Zooba - Don Ralke 10.Fever - Dymensions 11.Club Foot - Four Flames 12.Rising Mercury - Le Sabres 13.Souey - Jayne Mansfield 14.Way Out East - Jay Porter 15.Charlie's Dance - Kelly Owen 16.The Watusi Freeze - Big Walter 17.Congo Go Go - Renaldo Jackson 18.Where's My Pussycat - Terry & The Topics 19.Loose Ends - Ronnie & The Rainbows 20.Soup Bone - Chaz & Two 21.Triste - Danny Le Cina 22.Tecumseh - Spacewalkers 23.Sumpin Jumpin' - Bumps Blackwell 24.Snake, The - Charmers 25.Belly Dance A Go Go - Sheik & His Men 26.Hucklebuck Twist - Tommy & His Twisters
This particular John Fahey LP is a personal favourite of many of his
devout fans for several reasons. And although such a judgment is tough,
if one were looking to own only one album by this unique guitarist, The
Yellow Princess could be the one. The recording sound is among the best
of his many releases; at the proper volume, the effect is as if one had
taken up residency inside the sound hole of a giant acoustic guitar. The
program of pieces is marvellously emotional and varied, with many
moments of precisely stated harmonies moving at courageously slow
tempos.
~Amazon
With (on track 6):
Jay Ferguson (Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne)
Mark Andes (Canned Heat, Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart)
Matt Andes (Jo Jo Gunne, Spirit, Gene Clark’s Firebyrds)
Kevin Kelley (Byrds, Rising Sons)
Set List: 1. The Yellow Princess (4:52) 2. View (East From The Top Of The Riggs Road - B&O Trestle) (4:57) 3. Lion (5:10) 4. March! For Martin Luther King (3:43) 5. The Singing Bridge Of Memphis, Tennessee (2:53) 6. Dances Of The Inhabitants Of The Invisible City Of Bladensburg (4:10) 7. Charles A. Lee - In Memoriam (4:02) 8. Irish Letter (7:17) 9. Commemorative Transfiguration And Communion At Magruder Park (5:58)
My Sister's Machine are one of the inexplicably unsuccessful bands of the early nineties grunge scene. In Seattle, they were club-fillers along with Nirvana, Mudhoney and Green River at the turn of the decade, and their first album "Diva" was a fine, more conventionally hard rockin' album. Wallflower followed two years later after label problems. This album is much darker yet takes itself less seriously that its predecessor. More melody and slightly less silly lyrics marked out a definitive grunge groove. Nick Pollock's vocals a magnificent mix of Max Cavalera's growl and Chris Cornell's range and musicality raised "Wallflower" to the quality levels of neighbours Alice In Chains. Walls of guitars, everywhere, particularly "Cracking New Ground" and "Inside", lots of light and shade seasoned with power riffing in tracks like "Empty Room" makes THIS listener wonder why they never made it HUGE. Better tunes by far than Pearl Jam for example, and barely a riff stolen from anywhere else over the whole album.
~Dave Ormston
Track List:
1. Inside Of Me 2. Broken Land 3. This Is Fear 4. Steamy Swamp Thang 5. Feed 6. Empty Room 7. 16 Ways To Go 8. Enemy 9. I Slip Away 10. Burn 11. Mockingbird 12. Cracking New Ground
Band:
Nick Pollock - Vocals, Guitar Owen Wright - Guitar Chris Gohde - Drums Chris Ivanovich - Bass
The Wizards From Kansas - self titled (1970) Studio Recordings @320 {Out of Print}
This group is primarily known for their devastating version of High
Flying Bird. This song is on their only album from 1970 which bears the
strong influence of Jefferson Airplane’s masterpiece Volunteers (which
is also from 1970).
The Wizards from Kansas started off in the late 60’s playing
festivals alongside other, more well known bands. They have a disc of
late 60’s outtakes and alternate versions that are trippier and more
psych oriented than the above album. It took me a while to get into
this album, but I now consider it one of the best San Francisco style
acid guitar LPs. As mentioned before, High Flying Bird is radically
reworked into a psychedelic tour de force, full of hard distorted guitar
and great Airplane-like vocals. The Wizards also do a powerful cover
of Codine, which is slow, progressive and tripped out. The originals
also hold up, mixing country, psychedelia, folk and rock into a heady
brew. Hey Mister and Country Dawn are standout rural rockers, the
latter is really one hell of a tune with a classic intro. Mass is a
great psychedelic rocker with acid leads that twist inside and out
recalling Jerry Garcia’s guitar style.
Anyone into the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Youngbloods or
H.P, Lovecraft will really appreciate this great, unknown record. By
the way, these guys were from Kansas.
~Rising Storm
- Robert Manson Crain - 12-string guitar, vocals - John Paul Coffin - lead guitar - Harold Earl Pierce - rhythm guitar, vocals - Robert Joseph Menadier - bass, vocals - Marc Evan Caplan - drums, percussion + - Mark Naftalin - keyboards - Jake Fleder - producer
Track List:
01. High Flying Bird (William Edward Wheeler) - 5:01 02. Hey Mister (Harold Earl Pierce, M.A. Heiman) - 2:30 03. 912½ Mass (Robert Manson Crain, T. Crain, Robert Joseph Menadier) - 4:57 04. Cod'ine (Buffy St. Marie) - 5:52 05. Freedom Speech (Robert Manson Crain) - 3:38 06. Flyaway Days (Ronald Sandhauss) - 4:05 07. Misty Mountainside (Robert Manson Crain) - 3:36 08. Country Dawn (Robert Manson Crain) - 2:19 09. She Rides With Witches (Robert Manson Crain) - 4:02
Fusion Orchestra were positioned somewhere on the cusp between the likes
of early Jethro Tull, Focus and Renaissance. The three major pieces
here are the immense 'Sonata in Z', 'Talk to the Man in the Sky' and the
foot-tappingly brilliant title track. All pieces are characterised by
epic instrumental phases, changes of tempo, superb musicianship and, of
course, Jill Saward's powerful, jazz-influenced vocals. It is this
factor that reminded me at times of Renaissance, whereas the
instrumental phases certainly ring faint echoes of Tull's Passion Play
or Thick as a Brick with a vaguely Focus-esque feel. Fusion Orchestra
could certainly rock it with the best of them when they wanted as the
heavy riffing on the title track and shredding on 'Sonata' demonstrates.
The bones of the major pieces are fleshed out with some lighter tracks
which could (if I were feeling uncharitable) be described as padding
but, I do not wish to labour this point, as the main tracks more than
merit the purchase of this fine album.
~Cartiman
Band:
Dave Bell (drums)
Colin Dawson (guitar)
Sten Land (guitar, synthesizer, percussion, horns)
Jill Saward (guitar, synth, flute, vocals)
Paul Jennings (bass)
Track List:
01. Fanfairy Suite For 1000 Trampits (Part One) 0:16 02. Sonata In Z 11:49 03. Have I Left The Gas On? 8:42 04. Ok Boys, Now's Our Big Chance 0:47 05. Skeleton In Armour 5:13 06. When My Mamma's Not At Home 3:27 07. Don't Be Silly, Jilly 0:09 08. Talk To The Man In The Sky 11:55 09. Fanfairy Suite For 1000 Trampits (Part Two) 0:15
