Palestinian Light Orchestra

2007-01-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

We've Moved!

Because of a glitch in my account when I switched over to the new version of Blogger, I mistakenly believed I'd never be able to get into this site again. So, I set up shop across town at a new site.

Goodbye, Palestinian Light Orchestra, hello Invisible Record Archive. Expect the IRA to continue the dangerous and groundbreaking work started by the PLO. Exposing the public to records that probably are best forgotten.

Thanks frequent visitors for making this site a success. Join us across town for more of the same.

2007-01-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Re-ups:

http://rapidshare.com/files/9864727/Tod_Dockstadter_-_Quartermass.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/9856560/The_Weinberg_Method_of_Non-Synthetic_Electronic_Rock.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/9859174/The_Weinberg_Method_of_Non-Synthetic_Electronic_Rock2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/2529282/David_Ackles_-_Five_and_Dime.rar

For the guy in New Orleans who asked for a reup of OM by John C, it'll take me a few days. I seem to have not saved a digital copy of my vinyl burn. I'll reburn it, probably next weekend or so.

2007-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

K-razy baby

Slim Gaillard - Laughing in Rhythm

I don't like jazz singers. I've made this rant before, but indulge me. Most of them are so mannered and schmaltzy that I want to vomit after 20 secs. And that Ella-lite scatting that most of them do - eeeeesh.

But there's a couple I can dig. Chet Baker, Patty Waters, Leon Thomas... Mostly, the ones I can stomach are the ones who throw out all that convention and go bonkers. Like Slim Gaillard here.

Slim invents his own syntax, and takes it to the frickin hilt. Lots of stuff about food, some words that didn't come from anywhere, and some flat out incomprehensible gibberish. And it all works. Some of it is fall-down funny.

This is a missing link to a lot of places. I'll bet Tom Waits has a Slim record or two. And probably Flavor Flav. Lord Buckley. If you can find where those three intersect, you'd probably find this record.

Note that there are at least a couple of budget releases with this title (the world of public domain can be like that). This is the single disc one on Verve.

http://rapidshare.com/files/9851841/The_Best_of_Slim_Gaillard-_Laughin__in_Rhythm.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/9854054/The_Best_of_Slim_Gaillard-_Laughin__in_Rhythm2.rar

2006-12-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

PLO returns!

Hampton Grease Band - Music To Eat

The Hampton Grease Band was one of a fistful of bands from the early '70's whose very reason for existing was the wackiness of the Mothers of Invention. Unlike most of these bands, somehow these lucky bastards wangled a major label deal. Of course, they turned in a biscuit so utterly unmarketable that it was the lowest seller ever (supposedly, anyway) that Columbia ever turned out of their music division.

The problem with these Zappa influenced bands is that they confuse absurdity with cleverness. There are points on here where you just want the singer to shut it. Especially when he's reading from the back of a spray can, or reciting the Halifax section of the encyclopedia. But forget about that for a minute.

What really makes this band, and what might take you a few spins to catch, is that the instrumental interplay is phenomenal. These guys can play their asses off. Listen closely to the shifts in time by the drummer, for instance. He's all over the place, without seeming forced.

If you dig the B/S records by Alice Cooper, give this a try. The song construction isn't as tight, but it more than makes up for it with instrumental prowess. Another NWW favorite.

I've seen some of the reup requests, and will try to get to them. I'll be a bit sparse for a while, though. Work, etc.

http://rapidshare.com/files/7100694/Hampton_Grease_Band_1_2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/7106902/Hampton_Grease_Band_3_4.rar

2006-12-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

An Extra E, Just For Class

Thee Midniters

Not The Midniters, but THEE Midniters. This LA soul band was the bad-ass shit, so step back. This may be the best '60's band you've never heard of in your classic rock radio universe.

There are essentially three types of songs on here. One, you've got your uptempo dance number. Land of a Thousand Dances, etc. You've heard a lot of bands do this, few as well. Then, you've got your belly rubbin' slow dance numbers. Think Temptation 'Bout to Get Me, even though they don't do that one on here. Again, they nail these pitch perfect, although I could have done with a couple less on this comp.

It's the third type that really gets me though. Stuff like Whittier Blvd and Love Special Delivery. On these tracks they slide into a nice Chicano / soul hybrid that NOBODY can touch. The closest I've heard is Charles Wright. If you like him, you'll loooove this stuff.

I got to thinking about this one today watching old SNL reruns last night. They had the Stylistics on in 1975, and they were smooth as ever. But they had this edge to them that was sorta punkish, sorta disrepuatable. It reminded me that doo-wop and old soul had a nastiness to it that has largely been lost. But here, it's found.

http://rapidshare.com/files/7088285/The_Greatest_Hits.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/7093203/The_Greatest_Hits2.rar

2006-12-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

Viv Loses It

Vivian Stanshall - Sir Henry at Ndidi's Kraal

Warning: This is a largely spoken word album.

With that out of the way, this is where the Viv trail goes cold. No more albums after this. And like everything else he did, it's a damn strange place to end a career.

This record is a comedy sketch about an English colonial officer in South Africa. He's a dimwit, and a racist. Like with Lenny Bruce or Sasha Cohen, he'll push some PC boundaries here, but in the effort to make fun of his own people.

This isn't a perfect record, it meanders quite a bit, and even goes into fully incomprehensible from time to time. Still, it's a good use of three quarters of an hour. I'd venture that it holds up better than pretty much any of the big name comedy records that were so popular at the time.

Record is on Quicksharing, as it is too big for Rapidshare, and only a single track. That means grab it fast - it'll be gone soon.

http://s6.quicksharing.com/v/2750334/Viv_Stanshall_Sir_Henry_at_Ndidi_s_Kraal.rar.html

2006-12-04T21:45:00.000-08:00

Dazed and Confused, Baby

Watertown - Frank Sinatra

Add Frank Sinatra and the guy that wrote Dazed and Confused, and what do you get? The worst selling album of the great one's career. And a stone masterpiece.

Jake Holmes was maybe a surprising choice to write a whole song-cycle for Sinatra. Yeah, he'd had a couple of records out on Tower, but neither of them sold (they're genius, though, and finally back in print). He had also done the Genuine Imitation Life record for the Four Seasons, but they weren't Sinatra, for goshsakes.

I've heard this described as Sinatra's "rock" album, but this is no rock. Much more folk. Well orchestrated, as usual. Almost every song on here is a blockbuster. And none of them feel like a big stretch for Frank to sing. Think of it like Frank's Blood on the Tracks.

I'm amazed that this is out of print currently. For me, it's the best Sinatra record from top to bottom that I've heard. I'm particularly a fan of "What a Funny Girl (You Used to Be)". Leave a comment on this one. I'm curious if others love this one like I do.

http://rapidshare.com/files/5708614/Frank_Sinatra_-_Watertown.rar

2006-12-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Re-up requests

Fred Lane: http://rapidshare.com/files/5703066/Fred_Lane.rar
Richard Pinhas: http://rapidshare.com/files/5712077/East_West.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5716685/East_West2.rar

2006-12-01T23:01:00.000-08:00

Cpl. Pepper

Peter and Gordon - Hot and Cold Custard

At the butt-end of the 1960's, the beat groups were having the damndest time trying to keep up with changing times. Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper, Marshall stacks, what were a poncey-ass duo like Peter and Gordon supposed to do?

Right, they were supposed to make a psychedelic album. If Sgt. Pepper was the Beatles jumping headlong into the brave new world of experimentation, this is Pete and Gordo sticking a cautious toe into the same pool.

That pull between early 60's pop hooks and goofy never-been-experienced-psych-pop makes for a pretty unique record. And pretty weird. And, of course, it sank like a stone. This record is damn near impossible to find.

Miss Jo Anne Lucas of Belknap Dr in Grand Rapids MI, if you are reading, I've tried to contact you about joining the P&G Fan Club, but I've gotten no response to date. C'mon, I'm beggin' you...

http://rapidshare.com/files/5699262/Peter_and_Gordon_-_Hot_and_Cold_Custard.rar

2006-12-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

An Unconventional Covers Band

Sun City Girls - Def In Italy

This is a cassette tape released by the band in 1984, the year the world ended. I think it is a good introduction to what this band does, because it starts with a semi-recognizable frame of reference. Needless to say, their covers of Black Magic Woman and Precious and Few are pretty far from straight readings. Dark Star, Ghosts, and the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are closer to the SCG heart.

If you've not heard the 'girls, they maybe the most out-there American band of the last 20 years. They cover a lot of bases - free jazz, ethnic music, punk rock, psychedelia, pure noise, comedy. No surprise, then, that they didn't catch the alterna-rock wave of the late 80's.

Seriously, if you ever see anything by this group pop up at the local record shop, grab it. All of the SCG work, whether original records or CD's or their ethnographical field recordings, are short run releases. You'll probably not get a second chance.

Oh, and grab the other SCG file on the site. It's really brilliant, and I'm disappointed how few of you checked it out. Sorry to proselytize here, but this is music you shouldn't miss.

Track list:
Side 1
____
1) Black Magic Woman
2) Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo
3) Let the Night Roar
4) Shango
5) Kal El Lazi Kad Ham

Side 2
_____
1) Precious and Few
2) Ghosts
3) Spirit In the Sky
4) Dark Star
5) Jungles of Marines on Acid
6) We Will Play One More

http://rapidshare.com/files/5696436/Sun_City_Girls_-_Def_In_Italy.rar

2006-12-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

A Morsel of Corn In a Pile of Shite

The Pastels - Truckload of Trouble

The period between about '89 and '94 (a couple years in either direction might work, too) are my least favorite years of the recorded music era. That's the period between the changes in sample legality and a real American underground revival. Unless you *really* liked that Pixies shtick, records of that time mostly sucked. Even some of the stuff from that time that I liked (Shimmy Disc, later rap music, bop revival jazz) doesn't hold up so hot today.

There were a couple of winners from then, though. And this is one of them. The Pastels didn't really fit with the time - they make a lot more sense ten years down the road. That's because a lot of the bands from the late 90's learned a lot from them. Yo Lan Tengo and Wilco come to mind.

This is a compilation that starts at the beginning and goes through a bunch of lineup changes and style shifts. Through it all, they have a real easy-going shambling feel and a good way with a pop hook. I'm curious what others think about this one, so do leave a comment.

http://rapidshare.com/files/5663823/Pastels_-_Truckload_of_Trouble.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5668247/Pastels_-_Truckload_of_Trouble2.rar

2006-12-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

Potty Mouthed Drunks!

Derek and Clive - Ad Nauseam

Derek and Clive are really Dudley Moore and Peter Cook (or is it Peter Cook and Dudley Moore). They made a string of these improv comedy records during the late 70's while Dudley got famous and Peter got drunk.

Of course, they are both drunk from the beginning of this record to the end (or at least faking it). The sketches on here are all gloriously filthy, whether they are talking about being raped by the school headmaster or calling a horserace.

A little of this goes a long way. You'll probably like it better if you listen a couple of tracks at a time. On the other hand, these make great additions into those mix CD's that you make for your friends at the holidays. Nothing says "Happy Birthday Baby Jesus" like naughty drunken comedy.

http://rapidshare.com/files/5654557/Derek_and_Clive_-_Ad_Nauseam.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5659381/Derek_and_Clive_-_Ad_Nauseam2.rar

2006-11-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

Astral, Sort of

Tax Free

This is the band Wally Tax put together after the Outsiders. It was probably the best selling thing he ever did, as it had distribution in the states, if not the world.

Clearly, Polydor thought something would come of this. They donated session bassist Richard Davis (from Mingus and Astral Weeks) and John Cale to the sessions. They used Electric Lady right after it opened. All set for greatness to ensue.

It didn't though. This album for me never takes off and flies. Tax was really good at the dark garage psych mood stuff. But he didn't have the most rangy voice. These soft rock arrangements don't play to his strength at all.

The best parts of this album are where they let Richard Davis throw down sub-Astral Weeks bass-led arrangements. That's maybe half the album. The most countryish stuff is really mediocre.

If you haven't heard the Outsiders, start with their two albums. If you've lived with those for a long time, give this a try to see if you like it. I'd love to hear from anyone who does - maybe I'm missing something here.

http://rapidshare.com/files/5397453/taxfree.rar

2006-11-29T18:47:00.000-08:00

Going Soon

My rapidshare.de account ends in about a week. Going away will be the following: Lori Burton, Rising Sons, Stud Cole, Merry-Go-Round, New Tweedy Bros, Danny ben-Israel, Wm Burroughs, and Attila. Grab them this week, while you can.

Unless anyone knows how to transfer them from one to the other.

2006-11-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

Pillows of Cotton For Your Ears

The Smoke

I consider this record, along with the Left Banke and Millenium stuff, to be the absolute peak of the popsike craft. There's just so much here to like - hooks, chipper harmonies, good orchestrations.

Of course, this is namby as hell. Your friends will make fun of you if they catch you listening to it. But piss on them, that pseudo-Ramones fake-Fonzie rockabilly crap that comes out now is shite anyhoo. The Smoke is the real deal.

Not to be confused with the UK Smoke or any of the other Smokes that smoked at the time. This one is the Michael Lloyd version. For those who don't know Michael Lloyd, he's done some bad-ass stuff. Starting with the WCPAEB, through October Country all the way to the Osmonds Plan album (upcoming post, if I can find a decent copy - they're always beat to hell).

Dig the majesty.

http://rapidshare.com/files/5209665/The_Smoke.rar

2006-11-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

You Call That Singing?!?

Patty Waters - College Tour

Patty Waters is a strangely underrated jazz vocalist. When you do hear about her, it's usually in the perjorative context.

I could give two shits about most jazz vocalists - mannered, fake swinging, lounge club crap. The local jazz station runs that stuff 22 hours a day, and I hate it. They should play more Patty Waters.

Patty very rarely sings. Instead, she whispers, she shrieks, she makes noises that sound like Albert Ayler's horn, she makes orgasm noises, etc. There's really nothing else like her. Yoko at her best (and that's frequently, you Beatle fans) hits the scream end, but not the soft stuff.

This won't be for everybody, but if you like outside jazz, this might be a big hit. I'd love to know why she fell out of circulation right after this came out. Anyone?

http://rapidshare.com/files/5067618/Patty_Waters_-_College_Tour.rar

2006-11-26T15:41:00.000-08:00

We're Gonna Tear the House Down

Memphis Goons - Teenage BBQ

The Memphis Goons should by all rights be completely forgotten. They banged out a few songs onto a cassette tape between 70 and 72, probably while still in high school. None of them dented vinyl, let alone the charts. Even if they had been formally recorded and released, songs like "Tootin in America" probably weren't going to cast a long shadow in a world where Cat Stevens was king.

But one of these guys became a real-live rock critic (Robot Hull, Creem Magazine), and somehow these tapes made it to CD. Hell, they probably even sold 50 to 100 of 'em.

What a CD this is! Recorded in a time when extended solos, political concerns and technical brilliance carried the day, none of that is on display here. Instead, this inhabits a place that was pretty empty at the time - a smart guys who like dumb stuff region later to be staked out by the Dictators and the Ramones. Take that Joey and Handsome Dick, these Goons was here first!

Let's just say that these guys haven't seen fire, nor seen rain. Though they might have seen a lot of monster movies and Three Stooges shorts. These tracks are the audio equivalent of an Ed Wood movie - longer on ideas than technique. In fact, several of them barely hold together at all. This can make it hard to listen to more than a few tracks at once, but do give it a chance.

According to legend, there are 50 or more hours of tapes of songs that these guys wrote. This is almost certainly bullshit. But still, there had been rumor a few years ago about a box set in the works. I'll bet it would be a gas.

I've never seen this stocked in a store, but there do seem to be a few copies around for order on the net. Do order one - if they sell a lot of them, maybe there'll be more.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4957854/Teenage_BBQ.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4965581/Teenage_BBQ2.rar

2006-11-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

Re-up series continues

Perry Leopold - Christian Lucifer: http://rapidshare.com/files/4940052/Perry_Leopold_-_Christian_Lucifer.rar

Little Stevie Wright: http://rapidshare.com/files/4946450/Stevie_Wright.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4951894/Stevie_Wright2.rar

2006-11-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

Border Town Psych

Sir Douglas Quintet - Honkey Blues

This is the first record by Sir Doug and the boys after relocating out to the west coast (I think). For my money, it's the best thing that they ever did. And that's saying something, because I'm a big fan.

This record hits a ton of different styles, but never feels like it is showing off. The country, Tex-Mex, free jazz, and psych touches all fall into a pleasant laid-back mix. Unlike a lot of the things we put up for grabs over here at PLO, this isn't a hard record to listen to, at all.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4729020/The_Sir_Douglas_Quintet.rar.html

2006-11-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

Requiem For the Rockets

The Rockets

The self-titled record by the Rockets is remembered, if at all, as the launching pad for Crazy Horse. Fair enough, in the sense that Billy, Ralphy, and Danny were all in the band. But this record is better than you might think.

It is kind of unique for the time. It has a laid-back country feel, but not too country. It goes off into psychedelic modal stuff, but keeps song structure. It gets kinda bluesy, but not annoyingly so.

The closest thing to this I've heard is another band who became a big deal in the early 70's - that Hour Glass project with the Allmans in it. Both seem to have a foot in the 60's underground and one in the early 70's mega-rock. Both are much better than their reputation, I think.

The secret weapon on this one is the violin playing. It gives the album a cool added dimension. Another unexpected thing is the busy bass playing - by the time he got to Crazy Horse, Billy simplified it a ton.

Make sure you hear Pill's Blues before you make a decision on this one. It's really cool.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4704208/The_Rockets.rar.html

2006-11-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

Filthy Sacrilege

Sun City Girls - The Handsome Stranger

This is a bit of a diversion from the usual SCG record. Much of it is made up of spoken word narrations by the drummer, who sounds like a real-life version of that character that Tom Waits always plays. These narrations are absolutely filthy, describing a love affair between John Wilkes Booth and John Kennedy.

If you are new to the SCG cannon, they are one of the most interesting and varied bands in America. They cover a lot of different Western and non-Western styles without seeming contrived or dull. They also incorporate punky attitude and a surreal sense of humor without seeming like a goof. This is a good place to get started with them, really.

If any of you jokers has Horse Cock Phephner, can you post it? I've been in search of that one.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4700253/Sun_City_Girls_-_The_Handsome_Stranger.rar.html

2006-11-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Re-up: Armand Schaubroeck - A Lot of People Would Like to See AS Dead

This lp is utter genius. Vinyl rip, CD's don't exist.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4588447/arm.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4589329/and.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4591950/schaubroeck.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4595324/alotofpeoplewouldlike.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4597355/toseearmanddead.rar

2006-11-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Utterly Average Folk-Rock!

Paul Martin

This self-titled vinyl only release compiles both sides of Martin's two singles, and about 15 late 60's demo recordings. All the Paul Martin you'll ever need in one place.

Paul was a folk-rock singer straight from central casting. Long hair, acoustic guitar strapped on his back, Beatle boots, the whole shtick. Vanguard had a half-dozen just like him at the time.

What makes this one interesting nearly 40 years hence is the arrangements on these songs. His demos are tricked out with little 4-track mini-symphonies. They remind me most of all of Lou Christie records from the same period - hyperactive, heavy on detail, the Bronx woman background singers. Another good comparison would be the Jeff Monn record from about the same time, as they share a nice garagey edge.

Where this stumbles is in the song writing. Look at those song titles. Without Your Love. The Last Remains of Our Love. How Many Tears Must I Cry. Someone get this kid a Dylan rekkid!

I'll give this one a 9 on the obscurity meter and a 5 on quality. For fans of the genre only.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4586432/Paul_Martin.rar.html

2006-11-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

Re-up series - Keep those requests coming

I'll try to get to a few new ones over the weekend. Here's a couple more re-runs by request. I'm almost to the end of the list.

Viv Stanshall - http://rapidshare.com/files/4424183/Viv_Stanshall-_Men_Opening_Umbrellas_Ahead.rar.html
Perry Leopold - http://rapidshare.com/files/4429722/Experiment_in_Metaphysics.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/4434326/Experiment_in_Metaphysics2.rar.html

2006-11-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

No Post Today

Rapidshare problems again. Apparently, the servers won't accept Viv Stanshall for who he was. I'll get back to work when I figure it out, or else move back to another provider.

If you are a regular PLO reader, give me a shout out, will ya? Tell me what downloads you've enjoyed (or not), and where you are writing from. I've got a sense that some of you aren't English speakers, but I'm not at all clear how far the message spreads. The fun of sharing is in the discussion, so keep it moving.

2006-11-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

Re-up series: Howlin Wolf

http://rapidshare.com/files/4189813/The_New_Howlin_Wolf_Album.rar.html

2006-11-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

Ad Jingle Pop

The Hellers - Singers, Talkers, Players, Swingers, and Doers

This is some seriously whacked shit. In 1968 or so, a California ad exec figured he should put out an album as a calling card for his business. So he pulled out all the weird tricks he could.

How weird? Consider that this is a mix of sunshine pop, audio verite, early synth, tape effects, and corny humor. Consider that it is a really psychedelic record made by the squarest people imaginable.

The synths are courtesy of Bob Moog, a guy who some of you may have heard of. One of the voices in the chorus is McLean Stevenson, about to become famous as the colonel on MASH and the dad on Hello, Larry.

This is a subtle sort of weird, one whose conceptual wrongness will creep up on you on multiple listens. I wouldn't doubt for a second that there is some subliminal programming in here that makes us susceptible to other Heller Company clients. So be careful with this one.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4178040/The_Hellers.rar.html

2006-11-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

Re-up: Vinnie Bell - Pop Goes the Sitar

http://rapidshare.com/files/3756636/Vinnie_Bell_-_Pop_Goes_the_Sitar.rar.html

2006-11-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

Re-up Series: Debris - Static Disposal

By request. Please leave re-up requests in comments on new posts. I haven't been following comments on posts more than a month old, so I've probably missed 'em, if you wrote 'em. Keep the re-up requests coming.

If you missed it the first time around, this is a proto-punk / electronic mash-up. Sort of in the neighborhood of Chrome or Pere Ubu, if you need a reference point. A Nurse With Wound favorite.

http://rapidshare.com/files/3670552/Debris_.rar.html

2006-11-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

More of the Same

Heldon V - Un Reve Sans Consequence

This is the last of the Heldon records I've got for posting. It's a vinyl rip from the original release. This album is very similar to Heldon VI. AMG and some other sources I've looked at call this the best Heldon record. I disagree - I like the first three the best, because they are not as tied down by the fusion drumming. Still, this is a kick-ass record, and you should download it if you like 70's space rock at all.

http://rapidshare.com/files/3631521/Heldon_V.rar

2006-11-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome Back, Shimmy-Disc

Fred Lane - Car Radio Jerome

Seeing a new Shimmy-Disc release (now called Second Shimmy) reminded me that someone had requested this a month or so ago. Sorry to forget about it in the whole site shakeup. Here it is.

At one point in time, a new Shimmy-Disc was cause for celebration. At a time when the rest of the world was cranking out shit at the rate of the Fat Bastard with Ulcerative Colitis, SD was actually making some neat stuff for a few years at the end of the 1980's.

Or so I thought at the time. Frankly, a lot of their releases sound awfully thin and crappy in retrospect. I just tried to listen to 20 minutes of Double Bummer a couple weeks ago, and couldn't do it. I think some of the more obscure stuff would send me reaching for the stop button in seconds.

This one, though, does hold up. I think it is partly because it suffers the least from the thin early digital production values and solid-state guitar tones that bust a lot of the other releases. Also, though, this shit is so out there that it still sounds pretty outside to modern ears.

I hadn't listened to this more than a couple times since the dawn of the '90's, yet still these songs play in my head if I let them. White Woman, Car Radio Jerome, Hittite Hot-Shot - I'll be likely to burst into song with at least one of these per week for the rest of my life.

If you tried the other Fred Lane last month, this is the (slightly) more accessible version. The pop song Reverend. If the guy who has the Ron Pate / Fred Lane one reads this: yes, PLEASE post it. Enjoy.

http://rapidshare.com/files/3500550/Fred_Lane.rar

2006-11-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

By Request

Michael Yonkers - Microminiature Love

This was an album and change recorded in 1968 for a potential record deal. Stuff this obscure doesn't land a record deal, even in the bizarro world of the late '60's. Especially if you are from Minnesota.

SubPop put this one out about four years ago, only to see most of the copies turn up remaindered. Oh well. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Time didn't really catch up to this one.

There are a couple things to like here. The homebuilt electronics are kinda neat, and some of the songs get a sort of Pere Ubu-ish weirdness. But the lack of melody and hook, along with weak vocals combine to leave this a back-bencher.

I'd love to hear dissenting opinions on this one. A lot of people seemed to like this, and I feel like I'm missing the boat here.

http://rapidshare.com/files/3361544/Michael_Yonkers_Band.rar

2006-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Makers of Smooth Music

Bergen White - For Women Only

I love this damn record. If you go for grown-up and well arranged pop records, you might too.

Bergen White was a Nashville arranger who got himself a solo deal in about '69 or so. But this ain't no country joint. It's more soft psych pop. Think Bread, but with a little more punch.

That doesn't sound good to you? How about this - it has what was probably the first ever Townes Van Zandt cover. That's class.

http://rapidshare.com/files/3239398/Bergen_White.rar

2006-11-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

Re-up series

Taist of Iron (kick-ass basement metal from 1980's): http://rapidshare.com/files/3223049/Taist_of_Iron_-_Resurrection.rar.html

2006-11-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

Exploiting the Insane Is Not Very Nice

An Evening With Wild Man Fischer

Frank Zappa was behind this exploitative slab of double vinyl. He became aware of WMF through his busking and bizarre behavior in Hollywood, and signed him to his new Bizarre label as a flagship act. In a blatant "fuck you" to the hand that fed him, he made a double-album debut with only two actual songs on it, the rest being an audio verite look at the life of a schizophrenic street person c.1968.

There are a couple of ways to look at this. One is as a social statement. Given that Frank was also releasing stuff by Lenny Bruce and Lord Buckley on the label, I'm guessing that this was his intent. And as a social statement, letting the thing unfold unscripted makes a lot of sense. In this positive sense, it is a true documentary of mental illness up there with One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest or The Bell Jar.

The other way to look at this is as pure exploitation of a delusional individual. By turning Larry into Wild Man Fischer, Famous Recording Artist, Frank and his team almost certainly exacerbated his delusional behaviors. I think a lot of this happens in the music industry, and in arts in general. It's not very nice.

I got to thinking about this while watching the documentary about Daniel Johnston, a newer and more talented WMF. Like Larry, Daniel is clearly schizophrenic. And also like Larry, his life went a bit off the rails when people tried to make him an outsider star.

I didn't have the energy to type in 35 track names. If you care about that stuff, you'll find them here: http://home.new.rr.com/tapelists/wildman/evening.htm.

http://rapidshare.com/files/3012238/Wild_Man_Fischer_-_disc_1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/3085313/Wild_Man_Fischer_-_disc_2.rar

2006-11-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

Feel the Flange

George Brigman - Jungle Rot

George was a Baltimore kid, a long-haired doper hard rockin no-hoper. But he had two things going for him.

First, he had an undying love for the Groundhogs. If you like the 'hogs, you'll probably like this, too. His songwriting and guitar chops don't measure up to T.S. and the rest of the boys, but Brigman really means it, so for me they are about a draw.

Second, George had a flanger pedal. A properly deployed flanger is like an audio quaalude, taking the rough edges off of any sound. This is about as numbed out as any record you've heard. The sound of this album makes a perfect fit with the cover picture of a burned out urban wasteland.

http://rapidshare.com/files/2988521/George_Brigman_-_Jungle_Rot.rar.html

2006-11-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

Re-up Series Continues

Check back later today, I'll probably add one or two more. Keep the requests coming.

http://rapidshare.com/files/2832748/Gabor_Szabo_-_Jazz_Raga.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/2843120/Jeff_Simmons_-_Lucille_Has_Messed_My_Mind_Up.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/2847034/Kim_Fowley_-_Love_Is_Alive_and_Well.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/2870843/Brute_Force_-_Confections_of_Love.rar

2006-11-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

Re-upload series

David Ackles - Five and Dime: http://rapidshare.com/files/2529282/David_Ackles_-_Five_and_Dime.rar

2006-11-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

French for Gong

Ame Son - Catalyse

This is an album I've seen compared to Gong in a few places. True, it came out on the BYG label, and I think Daevid Allen may have been involved at some level. But it really doesn't sound too much like Gong to me.

A better comparison might be Magma. Or maybe an early fusion record minus the flashy chops. The drumming here is very free jazz, but the flute kills it in places, and the vocals do too.

I'll give this one a solid B, a B+ if I'm in a good mood. Uploaded by request. NWW approved.

http://rapidshare.com/files/2543128/Ame_Son_-_Catalyze.rar

2006-11-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Synth Rock Dorks, Unite

Heldon - Interface

By now, frequent visitors have heard me rant about Heldon from time to time. They were a French synth band that I think were every bit the equal of Kraftwerk, Neu, or Cluster. Pretty high praise coming from PLO.

This isn't my favorite Heldon record (II is), but it's right up there. By the late-70's, they had gone to a pretty heavy prog drum sound. It is kind of strange to hear a live and excessive drummer pounding down behind the space rock of the day, but it makes this kind of unique. The way the electronics and guitar mix in this one really drive it home, though.

And like that, my Rapidshare account magically reappeared. Ours is not to question why, just to revel in the fact that at least a dozen of my old links are safe. I'd write some sort of "PLO rising from the dead" comment, but I'd probably end up getting snagged by the man over it, especially so close to election day.

http://s2.quicksharing.com/v/mzg9xty1/Heldon.rar.html

2006-11-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Repostings

Please leave a comment if there is something you want that has disappeared from Rapidshare. I'll try to start reupping them. Frequent guests and other bloggers go to the top of the list.

2006-11-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Stick It To the Man!

Selda

Selda was a Turkish rock singer. The only female one I've ever heard. This is her first full-length album.

This is one of my favorites from that country. It's got it all - searing fuzz leads, sing-songy lyrics, primitive synths, chugging rhythms. If you dig any of the other Turkish stuff, give this a try.

I understand that Selda was a very controversial figure, and that some of these songs tweak the man. I've read other people compare her to Joan Baez, but Joannie never kicked it like this.

http://s4.quicksharing.com/v/6699226/Selda.rar.html

2006-11-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

Back For More!!!

Tonto's Expanding Head Band - Zero Time

This is the record I was trying to upload the last time I tried to get Rapidshare to re-up my account. I was so sad about losing all those links, all that time, etc, that I shut the doors for a bit to recharge my batteries. Now I'm back.

I heard this one on the stereo at the used record store a month or so ago, and remembered how cool it was. These guys were the synth programmers who helped Stevie Wonder with his early-70's records, and later worked with Gil Scott-Heron on some of his best stuff.

This one has a bit of that relaxed burpy funk feel, along with some of the spacy drift that you might predict from the cover. It is kind of unique, then, among electronic records of the time.

This is my first shot at this Quicksharing site. Please give feedback if you like or dislike the performance.

http://s4.quicksharing.com/v/2961396/Tonto_s_Expanding_Head_Band_Zero_Time.rar.html

2006-10-31T09:34:00.000-08:00

Sleeping

The PLO isn't dead, it's just sleeping. After the whole "Rapidshare-flushed-50-albums-worth-of-links-down-the-toilet" debacle, I'm still trying to figure out who to trust with my data. In the meantime, I'll be burning some of my good stuff to disc for postings starting in a couple weeks. I'll take suggestions about good file hosting sites if you've got 'em.

2006-10-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

If There's Something Here You'd Like To Keep, You'd Better Grab It Fast

My Rapidshare account must have expired as they made the change to their new server. It looks like I'll never be able to access my old account again, meaning that my links will all disappear in a couple of weeks. Grab 'em now, rockers, they'll not be here long.

2006-10-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

Naughty Girl

Lori Burton - Breakout

Lori Burton is a naughty girl. She sings songs about doing bad, bad things. And she sings them with a tough sounding New York snarl.

Ah, hell. She was probably a rich girl from Long Island. And probably a good half-generation older than the Shangri-Las and the other girl groups. Maybe even married with kids. Still, she rocks.

This is a late period girl group monster. Soul vocals, heavy production, good stuff. The vinyl rip is kind of low recording level, but should play OK.

http://rapidshare.de/files/37429208/Lori_Burton_-_Breakout.rar

2006-10-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

The LA Blues

Rising Sons

The Rising Sons were an early LA group that included Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. They were signed to Columbia about the same time as the Byrds, but their album was rejected, and the band disappeared. Too bad for them.

You can hear why this album wasn't released at the time. It was very bluesy, at a time when that wasn't cool. This album straddles folk, rock, blues, and even country influences in a way that would have been hot about two years later, but was flat bizarre when it was recorded. That, and Taj Mahal hadn't quite mastered pitch control yet. Although, to be fair, he probably didn't get much of a chance to fix the vocals in the studio, either.

The first time I heard this, mostly I heard Taj going on and off key. The more I listened, though, the better this got. Now, I consider this to be one of my favorites of the era, easily the equal of better regarded garage records. I think it kicks the shit out of the Butterfield Blues Band, for instance.

http://rapidshare.de/files/37248444/Rising_Sons.rar

2006-10-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Proto-Fonzie?

Stud Cole - Burn Baby Burn

Stud Cole was about the last of the rockabilly cats, making singles into the mid-to-late '60's. By that time, it must have been hard to find a band willing or able to put down a convincing hickerbilly thump. So instead, he hired the stoners down the block.

The result could be a great crash-up of 50's and 60's styles. Sort of like the Gino Washington stuff. It falls a bit short, though.

There are some points where the band coughs up a cool garage menace, but Stud's C-minus vocals always bring them back to earth. If you like really weird, give this a try. If you like technique and style, give it a pass.

http://rapidshare.de/files/37111393/Burn_Baby_Burn.rar

2006-10-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Local band makes good

The New Tweedy Bros!

This is maybe the first private press psych album I ever got my hands on, and one of the best. The Bros were from Portland, and headed down to 'Frisco to catch the wave of record co hype of '66-'67. They didn't.

But what they did do was record an album that stands a whisker below the classics from the time. Start with that happy jug-band groove of the Spoonful, add in a little Grape and Springfield, and a jigger of good ol' early GD experiment, and you've got a pretty neat lil platter. Each song has a little different feel, keeping it feeling fresh.

The songwriting is not super strong, and the singing is a little bland, keeping it a bit off from the classics. I'll give it 4 1/2 out of 5.

Start with track 4 if you don't believe me. It's pretty neat.

http://rapidshare.de/files/36430115/The_New_Tweedy_Brothers.rar

2006-10-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Post some Heldon records, bloggers

Richard Pinhas - East West

I've been silent here for a couple days. Rapidshare has been bouncing me out for some reason. They seem to be up and running OK today, though.

This is a solo record from the guy from the French band Heldon. If you haven't heard them, you really should. They were a monster. Nice combo of synths and acoustic instruments. Sort of a proto-Spiritualized, without the Phil Spector bombastic stuff.

I've seen this one get panned here and there, but I disagree. It is much more toward the electronic end of the Heldon balance, but that is not a bad thing. Much like Cluster, this record seems to be bridging the gap between the 70's electronic music ghetto and the 80's synth pop sound. It's certainly worth a listen if you dig the Moog like I dig the Moog.

Part of the reason for this post is to continue to beg other bloggers to put up the Heldon records. The late and lamented Archigram had the second and fourth ones. Maybe the rest of you could help me out with the others. Heldon never existed in the states, so I can't find them anywhere.

Thanks, rockers.

http://rapidshare.de/files/36247934/East_West.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/36261418/East_West2.rar

2006-10-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hippies suck

Danny Ben-Israel - The Kathmandu Sessions

This record is made up of sessions from 1968 to 1970 that were unreleased at the time. Ben-Israel was one of Israel's (the country, that is) best psychedelic rockers. His released album, Bullshit 3/4, is a monster of weirdness.

This one is not perfect. The first six tracks are a mixture of meander and pretty good. Sounding like rehearsals more than releases. Number seven seals the deal, though. The Hippies of Today Are the Assholes of Tomorrow is a good candidate for my favorite title ever. The track almost lives up to that billing. It's lots of fun, and worth the download by itself.

http://rapidshare.de/files/35764877/Danny_Ben-Israel.rar

2006-10-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

I've got no idea what's going on

Doctors of Madness - Part 2

This is the second lp of the US issue of both Doctors of Madness lp's. Unless there are some single tracks missing, this plus my other post is their entire output. Since the album jacket, the record labels, and AMG all have slightly different ideas about what is where, I'm honestly not sure how these tracks align with the original British lp issues.

Like the other DoM post a couple weeks ago, this is a more-punky-than-usual late glam album. It reminds me a lot of Cockney Rebel, but less whiny and fey. Dig it.

http://rapidshare.de/files/35754064/Doctors_of_Madness__pt_2.rar.html

2006-10-04T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Human Horn

Shooby Taylor - Unreleased Recordings

Sometimes eccentric private recordings can feel kind of exploitative. For example, listening to a Wesley Willis record feels a bit like making fun of the mentally ill, and accordingly, not very much fun. But Shooby Taylor seems to be in on the joke.

Shooby rented a studio sometime in the 1980's, and scatted his brains out over twenty tracks of karaoke canned Casio music. His scat bore no resemblance to Ella Fitzgerald. He was sort of the Albert Ayler of scat. Which kicks total ass.

((Side note - that MIJ record Anonymous wanted is posted here: http://fat-pam.blogspot.com/2006/09/mij-yodeling-astrologer-us-psych-folk.html. Fat Pam is on the ball, saving me an hour of upload time. Thanks, FP.))

Shooby ain't no piker, he can scat up a melody all night long. His syllables are fricken dope, too. He goes into stuff like "buppiebuppiebuppieshoodaliebeebop" which sounds like it sucks but it does not.

Honestly, I usually hate scat jazz singing. I love this, though. It can bring a smile and a chuckle to the most pissed off day. If you haven't heard this, grab it, you'll be glad you did.

http://rapidshare.de/files/35552953/Shooby_Taylor.rar.html

2006-10-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

Let's get pataphysical

From the One That Cut You - Fred Lane

Here's (sort of) another one of those Nurse With Wound list rarities the kids go nuts over. Fred Lane is T.R. Reid, who is a sculptor turned crooner. His band, Ron Pate's Debonairs, appears on the CD and the aforementioned list.

Before I had any idea about any of those NWW wonders, except maybe Beefheart and Zappa, I stumbled across this one in the local record store. It walks a thin line between pleasingly weird and silly, and too goddam weird and silly to be entertaining. Nearly twenty years after I first got it, I still like it, so it walks that line well.

This is the second of two Shimmy Discs for Fred. The first, which I'm guessing was a later recording, is better recorded and more song oriented. This one seems kind of home recorded, and way off the deep-end into free jazz big band skronk.

If one of you could point me at the Ron Pate album, I'd be forever grateful. That'd go double for a share of the unreleased third Fred Lane album.

http://rapidshare.de/files/35178792/Fred_Lane.rar.html

2006-10-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

The sincerest form of flattery

People - Ceremony

This album is a Japanese orchestrated attempt at putting a Buddhist ceremony to music, I guess. Not speaking Japanese or being a Buddhist, I've got to take someone else's word for it.

What I can vouch for is that this album sounds *exactly* like the stuff David Axelrod was doing under his name and with the Electric Prunes. A couple places are direct melody rips. If you like that stuff, you'll like this. Period.

http://rapidshare.de/files/35173649/People.rar.html

2006-09-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Beginning Of a New Age

Mogollar

Mogollar was a Turkish rock band. If you have followed this ultra-cool scene, you may have heard them on a compilation or so. Here's their second album from about 1971 or so.

This album sounds very little like you might expect. First, it's completely instrumental. Second, that tuff fuzz-tone that marks the best Turkish rock is AWOL. All in all, there's some kinda cool stuff on the album, although some of it veers a little toward Windham Hill for my taste.

But about track 12, when the bonuses kick in, hold the bus. All of the sudden we get the vocals, the fuzz, and the rock'n'roll attitude. Hang in there until then, or hit the skip button.

There are even two specimen of the rarest of all species - the English language Turkish song. Wow - I hadn't know such a thing existed. I think, although I wouldn't swear to it, that Baris Manco sings on a couple of those bonus tracks.

My computer thinks that this album is by Damon and Naomi. It's not, I promise. Sorry for the confusion.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34932219/Mogollar.rar.html

2006-09-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Freaky, dude

Indian War Whoop - The Holy Modal Rounders

These guys are actually both still alive nearly 40 years later. This is a shocker, as they were clearly using some pretty heavy shit back then.

The two album sides are presented as single tracks, for your approval. This is because they run together. Sometimes coherent songs emerge, sometimes they don't. Sometimes the chair gets up and walks across the room. The lamp is talking to me in gibberish, but I pretend I can't hear it. Wmeslbsblerg.

As you would expect, after an album like this, the Rounders were picked up by a much bigger label (Elektra - not quite a major yet, but they had the Doors). They spent their advance money on hard dope and made an even better record.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34543627/The_Holy_Modal_Rounders.rar.html

2006-09-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

2006-09-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

The Godz, sort of

The Godz - Godzundheit

After sitting on hiatus through the fall of psychedelia, the rise of the Eagles and Zeppelin, and the near-death experience of free jazz, the Godz decided to rise from the dead to show 1973 who was boss. Or else they decided to make a limp fricken singer-songwriter album. Hard to say what the motivation behind this was, but it probably wasn't chemical.

This one starts like a mother, with the Lester Bangs approved Whippenpoof Song. That's kind of cheating, though, because it was five years old at the time, and recorded with the real Godz lineup. If you haven't heard it, you should. Bracingly out of tune, and more rock than anything on the first two albums. I like it.

(digression) There was a special underground NY psych that existed at the time. Marked by ineptitude, attitude, and flyswatter guitar, it was the damn goods. Godz, Fugs, early VU, Rounders, probably a couple others I'm not thinking of right now. You can trace a straight line through that to the Skip Spence record and right on to Jandek, then it stops cold.(digression over)

The rest of this album goes between limp ballads (Paul Thornton), bar rock (Jim McCarthy), and sort-of-weird outsider rock (Larry Kessler). Take it or leave it, I recommend mostly the latter. The Jumpin Jack Flash cover is actually kind of cool.

There are two other late "Godz" albums ESP rereleased on CD during the 90's. Contrary to the labels claims, these are not unreleased Godz sessions, but solo albums by Jim and Paul. Like the Beatles solo albums of the early-70's wasteland, they are to be avoided at all costs. I'll put up the third Godz in the next week or so, but I'm feeling the need to diversify a bit for the time being.

Amazingly, three fourths of the pictured band look exactly like Bud Cort. The statistical probability of that must be staggeringly low.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34472877/The_Godz.rar.html

2006-09-25T13:45:00.001-07:00

I think I messed something up here. Let's get rid of this redundant post. Instead, more requests for ESP-disks might go here.

2006-09-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Are these guys serious?

The Godz - Contact High With....

This record is about as subtle as its title. Make no mistake, this is a heavy doper freakout album. To the max.

If you judge a record on technical skill, this one rates about a half-tick above the Shaggs, meaning it doesn't rate at all. If you've downloaded Godz 2, and think you've heard how bad a band can be, that album sounds like Yngwie Malmsteen compared to this one. Not to single one of these guys out, but man, that bass player sounds like he's playing a different song most of the time.

So why do people like this? Is it because Lester Bangs thought it was funny? Because it has some primitive untamed charm? Because it has an honesty other records don't? Probably at least all three, maybe more reasons that don't occur to me.

I'll focus on the honesty, though. I have my fair share of freakout records, and this is one of the top few. Compared to a band like Smegma, for example (not to pick on them too bad, but they are on the stereo right now), these guys really seem to mean it. This is no academic exercise. This is full-on fuck you culture war in a way that the Chicago Seven would have well understood.

This is from an original pressing. It says mono on the label, but I'll call BS on that - there is about as wide a stereo separation as you'll ever hear on this. Vocals on one side, drums on the other is a rare arrangement. There's some noise, especially on the back end. If you want pristine sound, buy the goddam CD.

I see the band is suing the label for the right to release this as part of a box set. Right on, Godz. I hope there is some live or otherwise unheard stuff kicking around. I'll bet it is hilarious - these guys were known for confrontational performances well before Iggy got his dander up.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34437913/Contact_High_With_the_Godz.rar.html

2006-09-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yawnfest

Seventh Sons - Raga (4 am at Frank's)

According to the liner notes, this album was recorded live at a loft show in 1964. This three piece, augmented with a flute, rips through a single song for 32 minutes. Other than some wordless stuff, there is no singing. Just rhythmic modal jamming.

Except that there is no damn way this was done in 1964. First of all, according to other sites that talk about Buzzy Linhart's career, they didn't even get together until 1965 or 1966. Second, there was no ESP-disk to record it until the end of that year. I think it is more likely that it was recorded in about 1966, when they reportedly were doing similar styles backing up Fred Neil in live performances. This is a big deal, because this recording is groundbreaking in 1964, and one of many a couple years later.

Either way, it's a bit of a yawnfest. It is much more listenable as album sides.

If anyone has Buzzy's first solo album ('buzzy'), I'd love to hear it, hint, hint.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34352708/Seventh_Sons_-_4_am_at_Frank_s__Raga_.rar.html

2006-09-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

I own this, but I can't exactly say why

Milford Graves Percussion Ensemble

This is posted by request from a loyal reader. As such, I'll be kind to it. I have owned this for a while, and still probably haven't been through it end to end in a single sitting. Frankly, I find it a bit of a chore, but I usually do with drummer-led sessions.

I'm sure I got this because it was referenced somewhere as a real good one. So someone must like it. I was thinking this was a Nurse With Wound one, but I guess not.

This is a duet for percussion between Milford and Sunny Murray. These guys play on a lot of stuff I really dig, but that's the best I can say for it.

I like this ESP-disk stuff precisely because it is not for everybody. I've particularly enjoyed a bit of debate over the merits or lack thereof of the Godz. That kind of discussion of good records is the reason for the site. The next ESP will be another one that I'm sitting on the fence about to keep the debate moving. Then, more Godz.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34349643/Milford_Graves_Percussion_Ensemble.rar.html

2006-09-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sounds tribal.

The Godz - Godz 2

Are you ready? Because here is the dang holy grail. For your Friday night pleasure. I hope some of you are tore up enough to dig it.

This here lp is the opposite of the usual career path. Most bands, at least in the mid-60's, do a first album with a hit and a bunch of covers and filler. Then, the second album gets all arty-farty. They get dropped by the label, blah, blah.

Not the Godz. They started so far frickin out that they had to come back to earth to find some song structure. When they did? hooo-boy.

Dig Radar Eyes, if you will. One chord plus a sneaky second. If they gave an Oscar for Best Use of Tremolo in a Supporting Role, this would own it. A song so good, they rip it off twice before the album is over.

Dig their cover of a beatle song, if you will. The beatles, fer godz sake. Since none of them could actually *play* it, they just do it acapella. Which makes it 10000% better.

There is something about not being able to play a trap set straight forward that gives a band a special something. The VU had it, and everyone who tries to cop them misses it. The Godz had it, too. And they go a step further by miking the kit like a jazz player, giving it a room vibe that is usually not on a rock record. Gee-zis, that sounds nice.

I gotta say, though, I found a site doing some, er, research for this post that had a picture of the Godz as they is now. Take it down this instant! Please don't wreck the beautiful mystery of these three perfect records by showing me that they look like normal 60 year olds now.

I want some damn comments. Especially from you who haven't heard this yet. I'd love to know that this record hit someone else as hard as it hit me. Then tell me if you want more of these.

And, of course, other ESP bands you are interested in. I think that we're about to spend a few weeks on a serious ESP retrospective. Thank godz I got that glam shite out of my system.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34112566/The_Godz.rar.html

2006-09-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Ernest and Julio Gallo Horn Section

Peggy Scott and JoJo Benson - Soulshake

I love this period of soul music. It's really the end of southern soul. Within a year or two of this record coming out, soul went all Philly, or else got funkadelicized. But for a while, there were some really adventurous post-Otis soul records coming out of the south.

This one is more Otis than most. Specifically, these are about all rewrites of Tramp by Otis and Carla. And they do a creditable job of hitting both of their styles pretty hard.

But it wasn't the voices that made me buy this right off the turntable at the store where I first heard it. This record has some of the flat-out dopest backing tracks of any soul record I own. First off, lots of the tracks feature electric sitar as the lead instrument. This is cool, an underused gimmick in soul (and don't talk to me about the frickin Box Tops, because I don't wanna hear it)

Better yet, there is a nice sloppy in the pocket groove to the rhythm section and the horns. Unlike a Stax or Muscle Shoals session, these guys are loooooose. I've never really heard a loose horn section before. It's a cool effect. I like to think that it was late and night, and there was a little drinkin goin on. But maybe they were just underrehearsed. Anyway, the horns sell this one for me.

If you like this, there is a good SSS label comp that came out about a year ago. Lots of other treasures on that one.

Godz tomorrow.

http://rapidshare.de/files/34107850/Peggy_Scott_and_JoJo_Benson_-_Soulshake.rar.html

2006-09-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Procedural

Does anyone know much about that Rapidshare bonus points? Can I use them to renew my member ship or anything? Please help, if you can.

Also, I've been finding a lot of good new blogs this week. Including the following:
http://wine-women-song.blogspot.com/ (the Boris / Sunn O))) collaboration!!)
http://pepsonic.blogspot.com/ (dig that Missing Links comp - I love that band)
http://hipidetripi.blogspot.com/ (The Third Eye, oh yeah)
http://crotchbat.blogspot.com/ (That Andy Votel comp has been on heavy rotation at my house since spring. Really good)
http://apoundforabrown.blogspot.com/ (if you don't have Music to Eat, what the hell is wrong with you. Get it now.)

Anyway, welcome to the club, fellers. Now add me to your links, will ya?

2006-09-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Another misfit toy album

Joe Harriott - Indo-Jazz Suite

If you are following this blog, and having trouble getting a hand on the PLO aesthetic, let me give you a hand. I'm not so much into a single genre, as the records that are a little weird for a mass audience. The land of misfit toy records. This immediately excludes 99+% of current records - truly weird barely exists anymore. But there was a time when labels were OK with sneaking out a trial balloon from time to time.

Like this one. On Atlantic, fer christsakes. Joe Harriott, England's Ornette wanna-be, hired a sitar player, copped Ornette's band name, and dropped a gem.

It's about what you'd expect from an Ornette Coleman/sub-Shankar sitar duet. The second collaboration is more of the same, and the source of the much covered Acka Raga. Give it a try.

For those of you who care about such things, this is burned from a mono promo copy in pretty damn good shape for 40 years old. Raga time!

http://rapidshare.de/files/33973209/Joe_Harriott_Double_Quintet_-_Indo-Jazz_Suite.rar.html

2006-09-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

Genius or incoherent noise?

Cromagnon - Orgasm

Cromagnon was a weirdo duo of bubblegum songwriters from Connecticut who decided to get their rocks off on an ESP-disk. A good idea, really. If your day job gets you down....

Some of the tracks get into some really neat psychedelia, predicting some of the more out moments of the '80's (say the demented Butthole Surfers of Locust Abortion Technician). Some are a little more tedious and hard to get to. My feeling about which tracks are which can shift from listen to listen, which I take as a good thing.

This is a Nurse With Wound list item, so you trainspotters, spot away. Why this was chosen among all the weird stuff on the label (along with the damn unlistenable Milford Graves Percussion Ensemble) is a bit of a mystery to me. What of the mighty Godz? Ed (Who) Askew? Patty Waters? Noah Howard? Go back and rectify this, Stapleton.

Again, by request. Keep those comments coming.

http://rapidshare.de/files/33878683/Cromagnon.rar.html

2006-09-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Such a tame disc

Pharoah Sanders Quintet (Pharoah's First)

This here disc is Pharoah's first date as a leader, and the third issue by the gargantuan ESP-disk label. I love all things ESP, but looking through the blog, I haven't really posted many of them. I'll have to start rectifying that.

For those of you who know Pharoah from his work with Coltrane and beyond, this might seem like a bit of a surprise. It's surprisingly straight bop in a lot of ways. There's a piano, for gosh sakes. And a walking bass. And quick chord changes.

But then Pharoah blasts in with that tone, and you know this is no Dexter Gordon lp (nothing wrong with Dexter, by the way, just a comparison). In about six months after this was cut, he was in outer space with the expanded Coltrane group. Here, he's counting down to blastoff.

Maybe one of you collector nuts can help me with this. Every other reference to this record I've seen has the cover on the CD reissue - black and white swirly pattern. Mine has a kick-ass Jay Dillon (from the Godz - coming soon) pen drawing of a psychedelicized woman figure. Why did I luck out with the great cover? Is this a bootleg issue (common w/ ESP, even on CD)? An original (if so, why change to a crappy cover)?

http://rapidshare.de/files/33841550/Pharoah_Sanders_Quintet.rar.html

2006-09-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

If you dug it, it's a nugget

Crushed Butler - Uncrushed

I wanted to make sure that this one didn't get away from us at the PLO. This mini-lp was donated by loyal reader "anonymous," a reader who far and away dominates our meagre comment lists.

This record reminds me quite a bit of the Deviants and Edgar Broughton, if not as lysergic as either. Pretty straight forward, aggressive, pre-punky. These are demos, so don't think you'll get good sound quality, but who the hell cares about that.

The guy in the band went ahead and formed Hammersmith Gorillas after this. They were a third-string glam band that pops up on all those junkshop glam comps. Good stuff, too.

Take a bow, Anonymous.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=O1ZSD12B

2006-09-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Birth of Turkish Rock

Erkin Koray - The Singles Collection v. 1

Erkin Koray was the first Turkish rock star. He started playing covers of American rock and roll music in the late 50's. He was even stabbed for having long hair. Take that, you namby young American punkers.

This is a collection of his singles from the 60's leading up toward his first full length album. The albums come in and out of print in the states, and aren't all that hard to find. I don't think these singles have ever come out here, with the exception of a couple that ended up on his first lp. This collection is a CD-R put together for the geek market.

The first couple of singles are pretty corny, but that's the case with a lot of the beat era bands. By the '67 stuff, you can start to hear his style form. Searing electric saz and guitar leads, treble all day long, modal soloing. If you haven't heard any of the Turkish psych stuff, prepare to get your head blown off. If you are a fan of the style, it starts here.

Erkin is still out there rockin'. According to the picture on Wikipedia, he looks a lot like Neil Young these days, wacky eyebrows and all. He's one of the few people out there who evented his own genre. Compare him to Fela or Scratch Perry or Kraftwerk or whoever the hell you want, he's earned it.

http://rapidshare.de/files/33737344/Erkin_Koray_-_Singles_Collection_v_1.rar.html

2006-09-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

By request, again

Simply Saucer - Cyborgs Revisited

Boy is this a great record. For those of you that haven't heard this, SS were a Canadian group of the wasteland period (post-psych, pre-punk). Like a few of the other kick ass bands of the period, they were almost completely unique. And completely invisible.

I've heard this record compared to Syd's Floyd quite a bit. I can dig it, but only if we're talking about the Syd of Vegetable Man and Scream Thy Last Scream. There's no See Emily Play pop structure going on here at all.

I think a more apt comparison is the very earliest of Pere Ubu. The one with Peter Laughner. This has that same damaged sense of song structure - there are very few verse/chorus things going on here. Even the solo sections have a crazy non-standard structure to them. Also like the Ubu, there is that ubiquitous non-musical electronics that really sells it for me.

But unlike Floyd or Ubu, this is a space *rock* band, meaning that the singer is got that garage punky snarl to him. This is the piece that takes this band from being part of a group to being flat out unique.

If you haven't written songs before, it may be hard to truly appreciate how difficult this type of song construction is (don't you hate it when reviewers say this kind of shit...). Most songs are written as groove A (aka verse), groove B (chorus), and maybe C or D (bridge, coda, intro, etc). Each piece needs to fit somewhat, but as long as they are similar keys, it works OK. Simply Saucer might go A, B, C, D, semi-A, C backwards, E, Q, freak-out, B with each part melting into each other, rather than abrupt transitions. Good stuff.

I posted the original album only. There is a CD version that is available, so I'm sort of breaking the house rules by posting this. I'm justifying in a couple ways. One, it's a request. Two, it's rare enough that many folks who would love it haven't heard it. Three, there is a ton of bonus stuff on the CD release, so you'll get something new when you actually buy it (and you will, it's that good).

http://rapidshare.de/files/33621803/Simply_Saucer.rar.html

2006-09-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Drugs'll Do It To Ya, Rock, Rock, Rock

Butch Willis and the Rocks - Forthcomings

This is the first micro (private?) press strange ass non-commercial record I ever bought. At the time, I had no idea that this was its own world. I just heard a couple of these songs on the local college station, and thought they were cool.

Specifically, those songs were Drugs'll Do It To Ya and The Girl's On My Mind. Some college rock DJ thought enough of my hometown to toss these into heavy rotation for a few weeks, enough that we could get 'em on tapes. Twenty years later, I still know every word.

When I found the record again after several years away, I was overjoyed. Now, you can be, too.

Read an interview with Butch here.

I've enjoyed the upturn in comment frequency. Keep 'em coming. It keeps me interested.

http://rapidshare.de/files/33510968/Butch_Willis_and_the_Rocks_-_Forthcomings.rar.html

2006-09-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

What's Australian for glam?

Stevie Wright - Collection

The new Ugly Things has an article in it about 1970's Australian rock. The author tries to define a new genre of "Grillfat Rock", with this being a prime example. Me, I think the last thing we need to do is retroactively define a new genre, especially one with a name that don't make no sense.

Instead, I'll choose to think of this record as the halfway stop between the Easybeats and AC/DC. If you don't know the Easybeats, you should. They made impossibly complicated (try to play along to Friday On My Mind sometime) and catchy pop songs. Little Stevie Wright was their singer.

Like everyone else, at the dawn of the 70's, he decided to get heavy. These songs stretch out, but they retain that blue-eyed soul voice that this fella was known for. Evie was the hit, I think.

After a few solo records, Stevie got more wasteder than a jobbing musician can get away with. His guitar-playin, songwritin, producin buddies Vanda and Young took George's little brothers Angus and Malcolm to the bank with a stripped down and solo'ed up version of the sound on this CD.

http://rapidshare.de/files/33285310/Stevie_Wright_-_Collection.rar.html

2006-09-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

By request - the drones have it

Velvet Underground - Live 1966

This is from a vinyl bootleg of the music the wayyyy early VU made for a film in January of 1966. Basically, they set up, and let rip on a single chord for an hour. Nico mumbles along here and there. You can't hear him, but Nico's son Ari shakes a tambourine.

I've seen the film, and this definitely loses something without the visual. The crappy sound quality really pulls some of the force out of the experience, too. If you are a fan of the band, do seek out this movie. It's not terribly hard to come up with - I've got a VHS copy over here at the joint.

Even with the problems with the sound quality, this is a great addition to a VU collection. It sounds like a completely different band than the other live boots and official releases from the Doug Yule years.

http://rapidshare.de/files/33260108/Velvet_Underground_-_Live_1966.rar.html

2006-09-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

New Kids on the Block

A warm PLO shout out to Grown Up All Wrong, a new mp3 block just getting started today. If his other stuff keeps pace with his first post, I'll be a frequent visitor.

2006-09-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

I know you are gay because...

Jobriath - S/T + Creatures of the Night

In the 40-Year-Old Virgin, two of the supporting characters have this dumb little verison of the dozens where they banter back and forth with insults that start with "I know you are gay, because..." Ending that sentence with "...you own both Jobriath records" would probably be about as complete a victory as possible in that game.

I can say without threat to my masculinity that I own and enjoy both Jobriath records. They are pretty standard glam rock, more on the Broadway end than most. The songs are catchy enough to stay in your head for a while, like this kind of music should. I'm especially prone to getting stuck on Space Clown and Scumbag for hours and hours.

If you thought that Scissor Sisters had an original sound and shtick, sorry to burst your bubble.

A CD comp came out a couple years ago, but the two original albums contain a bunch of stuff that didn't make the CD. Like it or lump it. This is probably it for the glam for a while, at least until I buy some more records. We're going to go back to the weird stuff now.

http://rapidshare.de/files/33150424/Jobriath___Creatures_of_the_Street.rar.html

2006-09-14T00:32:00.000-07:00

Do you want to hear the most annoying noise in the world?

Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music

This is a record that is far more talked about than listened to. There are really two schools of thought on this one.

1) This is a big fuck you from Lou to his label to close out his contract. It is awful, and Lou knew it was awful, and we're left holding the bag for a $5.98 double album.

2) This record is a great laugh -at rather than laugh-with comedy piece. Rock stars do the strangest things!

I'd like to propose a third interpretation. This is the logical culmination of the "take lots of speed and make lots of noise" path of art that Lou went down from time to time. Like White Light / White Heat, without the songs. Anyone who has heard the music from the early hour film the VU made for Andy (shall I post this?) will recognize this approach. In fact, you can pretty well draw a straight line connecting the early boots > the first couple albums > MMM. It's Sally Can't Dance that's the weird one.

Lou obviously worked really hard on this. There are lots of edits, back maskings, harmonic juxtapositions, etc. It isn't easy to listen to, but if it weren't by LOU REED, it would be one of those obscure NWW records we all go potty over.

Of course, Lou had some help working hard. I can't believe that none of the reviews of this record that I've ever read make any mention of the fact that he subtitled the album with the chemical structure of amphetamine. Can you imagine an artist doing that today?

http://rapidshare.de/files/33064318/Lou_Reed_-_Metal_Machine_Music.rar.html

2006-09-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Johnny Rotten's favorite album

Peter Hammill - Nadir's Big Chance

This is an album cited by Johnny Rotten as a big influence on his first popular band. Because of this, it's gotten a reputation as some sort of prescient pre-punk punker. I don't quite buy that.

This album is really not *that* different from a van der Graaf album. Pete is still in his dramatic semi-operatic style. I think what people are responding to is the way the more guitar based arrangements accentuate the similarity between parts of his style and the later safety pin set. Because when Pete gets excited, he gets snarly. He's there about a quarter of the time on this lp.
I like this album, but there's a lot of vdGG and Hammill stuff I like better. Try any of the great group albums (H to He, Least We Can Do, Pawn Hearts, Godbluff) or maybe one of the first couple solo records, and I think you'll see what I mean.

There is a little scuff on the back side, and a slight skip. Sorry, rockers, this isn't an easy album to find in the states, so it's the best I can do.

http://rapidshare.de/files/33015750/Peter_Hammill_-_Nadir_s_Big_Chance.rar.html

2006-09-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

In appreciation: Dead Moon

I just got the new 2CD Dead Moon comp yesterday. Two discs, about 50 tracks, no crap.

If you aren't familiar with Dead Moon, they are a three-piece rock band from Portland. Fred Cole, the singer, has been in many bands since the late '60's. He even had a minor chart hit with "You Must Be a Witch" by the Lollipop Shoppe in about '68. They became Dead Moon when he taught his wife to play bass about 20 years ago.

Most current punk bands, especially on the West Coast, are a combination of different levels of the following ingredients: the Dolls, the Stooges, the Ramones, X, the Cramps, the Clash, and the Sex Pistols. Almost all of them suck. Complete wastes of time.

When Fred, Toody and Andrew hit the boards, it's always 1966. Not in a crap we-got-some-pudding-bowl-haircuts-and-Voxx-amps sort of way, but because it's no frills damaged garage punk rock. And because it's the goddam right thing to do.

Sad state that it takes a couple of grandparents to teach us how to rock, but I'm glad they are out there still doing it. Now go buy that CD.

I'll have a share post this afternoon.

2006-09-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

It's OK, They're Doctors

Doctors of Madness - Figments of Emancipation

This album represents about the end of the road for glam rock. It ends right where it is supposed to - sort of a pre-punk snottiness. If you take away the violin, tighten up the songs, and maybe dumb down the riffs a notch, you're pretty well there.

But the violin is still there, innit? This record sounds to me a lot like the Cockney Rebel stuff (if you don't have their first two, you really should). Violin-based and dark as hell. The big difference being that Steve Harley from CR is kind of a ponce, and Kid Strange isn't so much. Minor difference, though.

I'm thinking about adding a couple more glam ones before moving on. Your comments will convince me whether I should.

http://rapidshare.de/files/32782798/Doctors_of_Madness_-_Figments_of_Emancipation.rar.html

2006-09-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

Born To Be Weird

Kim Fowley - Outrageous

This is one of my personal all-time top 20. I posted it by request from a comment under the other Fowley posting. I didn't realize this is back out of print in the states, meeting our criteria for being on the blog.

The instrumental sound of this one is very Born To Be Wild-era Steppenwolf. I'm guessing that Mars Bonfire is on this one, and maybe some of the band themselves. But you didn't buy this for the musical backings.

A big chunk of this album is Kim doing what Kim does best. Talking shit in the parlance of the day. And on this day, it was purely drugs and sex. By the middle of side two, he's off into the coolest fake acid trip anyone has gotten onto vinyl.

If you are into the Stooges, Krautrock, or bizarro stuff, you'll love this. If you are into all three, this will be your new favorite album.

http://rapidshare.de/files/32695186/Kim_Fowley_-_Outrageous.rar.html

2006-09-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Laugh Along With Mental Illness!

Napoleon XIV - The Second Coming

Napoleon XIV was Jerry Samuels, a DJ who liked to play with his varispeed, a good quality in the eyes of your humble reporter. He had a surprise hit with a novelty song about going wacky.

In the style of labels of the time, they hired a songwriter to write a bunch of songs in the style of the hit. Well, they kind of missed it. Most of them are jokes about mental illness, but none of them are all that funny. The hit is the shit, the rest is mostly shite.

But there is one more track that redeems the hell out of this thing. The Explorer, track 2, is a Firesign Theatre-style sound effect piece about masturbation. It just might be better than the song you know. Dig it, while you still have ears to listen.

http://rapidshare.de/files/32691720/Napoleon_XIV_-_The_Second_Coming.rar.html

2006-09-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

A Record For the Little People

We Are Ever So Clean - Blossom Toes

For a period of time around '67, every damn album out of England (except for the Stones, who could give a shit) was a series of ballads for the forgotten little people. The Eleanor Rigby's and the Well Respected Men. I find this very irritating and contrived most of the time - "Songs of the Common Man By Big Rock Stars!". I'm glad it was a passing phase.

This album came out in that era, and is sort of marred by this flaw. Otherwise, it kicks ass. Nice light psychedelic production touches. Good harmony singing. Catchy choruses.

A couple years later, these guys came out with a second album with a nice Cap'n Beefheart / Edgar Broughton Band weird blues feel. Definitely worth seeking out, though you'd never guess it was the same band.

http://rapidshare.de/files/32534353/We_Are_Ever_So_Clean.rar.html

2006-09-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Hang on!

Hold on, friends. I'll have some new stuff up next week. For now, having time crunch and problems with CD recorder. I'll solve over the weekend.

While you are here, please do me a favor friends. If you have a rare record blog, please add me as a link. Leave a comment, and I'll do the same. If you visit, collect, etc, start one of these. It's free, fun, and gives back to your friends.

I saw Polyphonic Spree again last night. They are really good - far better than the glossy mags give them credit for. They are one of the only modern bands that can hold my attention for an hour or more. Catchy songs, good shtick, sexy chicks, lots to like here. They are nice people and very sincere, so help 'em out and buy their new ep.

2006-09-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Home of Punk Rock - Oklahoma?

Debris' - Static Disposal

Like Armand Schaubroeck, this is one of those records that defined the punk rock sound years before the Sex Pickles et al. took it to the bank. There are three records I recommend that you get if you think the English safety pin kids invented this sound.

1) Neu '75. Hero is the Sex Pistols.
2) Peter Hammill's Nadir's Big Chance. Kind of a stepping stone from Prog and Glam to punk. You know Johnny Rotten had this one. (note: I'll post this, if people want it)
3) The Debris. You'll understand when you listen. This one may more predict the later, more hardcore punk.

There's lots of others. The Heartbreakers, Simply Saucer, Chrome, ahh, I've been through this before.

The twist on this record, other than the sheer in-your-face unlistenability, is the liberal use of electronic effects. By the time this sound had a name and an image, electronics were mostly taboo. Unless you were French.

This is another one of those Nurse With Wound list items, for those of you who keep score. This is from a now out-of-print reissue CD with lots of bonus stuff. Try to find a copy before they are all permanently snapped up.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31767515/Static_Disposal__CD_Version_.rar.html

2006-09-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Are You Afraid of the Dead?

Grateful Dead - Vintage Dead

It is sort of a given in rock snob circles to hate the Dead. Like the Doors, Zeppelin, the Eagles, and Steely Dan, the Dead are supposed to represent all that is wrong with the mainstream. I'm here to say, it ain't necessarily so.

Thought experiment: say the GD broke up in '69 (almost did - they were broke and the record co. almost dropped them). I'll respectfully submit that in that alternate universe, the Dead would have a standing up there with near-misses like the MC5 and the Velvets.

Preposterous? Nay, I sayeth. Let's run the checklist:
1) Fighting against the man? Check.
2) Identifiable and influential sound? Check.
3) Studio innovations? Double-check.
4) Memorable songs and singing? Well...

And therein lies the rub. The songwriting of the early Dead was pretty far behind the instrumental prowess. But hell, you could say that about a lot of the bands we go crazy over.

Here's a (subjective) beginner's guide to getting started with the Dead.
Stone classics: Anthem of the Sun, Europe '72, Wake of the Flood
Pretty cool: Most of the other Warners stuff.
Have their moments: American Beauty (the CSN harmonies aren't so good), Blues For Allah, Mars Hotel, Go To Heaven (really.)
Steer Clear: Terrapin Station and Shakedown Street (disco Dead), Built to Last, the Touch of Grey one (forgot its name....)
Live Stuff: Anything from 1968, 1970-4 should be pretty good. 1969 and 1975-1983 can be spotty. Stay away from Brent and Vince eras, unless you go for MIDI keyboards and guitar synths.

This posting is a bootleg from 1970 or so. It is a very early Avalon performance (late '66). The energy is low, perhaps an artefact of the poor recording quality. They would be a lot better in a year or two.

Comment rule: if you are going to belittle the Dead (and part of the reason for this post is to kick off fun debate), you've got to list a favorite guilty pleasure band. And it has to be non-MOJO approved.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31759869/Vintage_Dead_-_The_Grateful_Dead.rar.html

2006-09-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Shameless Self-Promotion

The MBE - Bafflemania

This is a CD that came out earlier this year, that I play on and helped with production of. These cats is crazy, no doubt. This is easily the most overproduced private press album of all time. Not in some pro-tools digitized way, but in a spend weeks in a real studio recording massive overdubs of bizarrely treated instruments way.

Dig a few details:
1) Mighty Mouth at one point is backward cymbal, acoustic sitar, 12-acoustic, guy singing through a slinky
2) How's Your Fuzzy Box breaks into backwards drums, backwards sitar, AM radio, and cowbell though tape echo.
3) I Woke Up Dead is a duet for banjo and sitar. Each starts in one speaker and drifts to the other, changing sides on every note
You'll find other sonic details like this if you pay attention. One of my big beefs with modern record production is that cool little details don't make it into records anymore.

Anyway, please let me know what you think of this. Anyone who wants a copy can give me some contact info, and I'll get you one for shipping plus a coupla bucks.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31606366/The_MBE_-_Bafflemania.rar.html

2006-08-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

The Tears of a Clown

Viv Stanshall - Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead

I wasn't ready for this album when I first heard it. I'm still surprised every time I listen to it, even though I know what to expect.

You see, I'm a big Bonzos fan. Especially, I'm a big Viv songs by the Bonzos fan. And I expected this album to be one long jokey Viv song. Not so.

Viv is kind of unhappy for a lot of this disc. Maybe bitter. Certainly incoherent. This is not a joyous romp, by any means.

I see this record as a bit of a piece with Lucky Leif and the Longships. Both are by notoriously eccentric guys who ended up pretty well over the edge soon after. And both are absurdly diverse when it comes to the stylistic shifts from song to song. This is better than the Calvert one, though.

This is a traded copy from the halycon days of Napster, when 128 was just great. I've been holding out for a better copy, but none is forthcoming. What do you want for nothing, a rubber biscuit?

Note: check the comments, as a generous reader put up a version in better quality.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31512933/men_opening_umbrellas_ahead.rar.html

2006-08-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

By Request

Gabor Szabo - Gypsy ' 66

My earlier Szabo post got a lot of attention, and a couple calls for more. Here's more.

This is Szabo's first as a leader for Impulse, so first as a leader anywhere that I'm aware of. This is pretty different than the other stuff I have of his. It's way more in a straight ahead boppish vein than the quasi-Eastern modal stuff he's famous for. It does tip his hand toward the pop covers that would dot his discs from here forward, though.

I really don't have much more to say about this. I've not seen it reissued, nor does it seem to be that easy to find.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31510554/Gabor_Szabo_-_Gypsy__66.rar.html

2006-08-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

How Could I Have Forgotten This One?

Vinnie Bell - Pop Goes the Electric Sitar

I ripped this album to put up two months ago, then forgot about it. I don't know what got into me - this is among the first couple that made me think about setting up this damn site in the first place.

Vinnie Bell was (is?) a session guitar player who dabbled in instrument design. Together with Danelectro, he put out a couple of instruments. One was the first widely available electric sitar. This record was a tie in product, clearly made to promote sales.

It is what it is - a cheesy as hell lounge pop look at some of the hits of the day. Played on electric sitar. Originals are hard to come by, so download away and give it a listen.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31461004/Vinnie_Bell_-_Pop_Goes_the_Sitar.rar.html

2006-08-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

Love In, Los Angeles Style

Kim Fowley - Love Is Alive and Well

The San Francisco groups started this flower power thing. That's pretty undisputable. They were all into grooving together, getting high, not bathing, scraggly clothes, etc, etc.

LA was never going to go for that shit. People down there are too good looking and too rich to look like that. This is a great example of how the peace and love message got twisted as it left the backwaters and went mainstream.

I particularly like the self-aggrandizing fake interviews with the groupies and Rodney. A very funny statement, that.

Tower Records at this time must have had a hell of an A & R department, as they put out some bizarre stuff right at the end. Pink Floyd, Jake Holmes, CWB, the Smoke, Scorpion.... No wonder they went out of business. Imagine a major label today putting out stuff half this weird.

There is involvement of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band on this one, including early member Michael Lloyd. If you care.

This album is maybe the shortest in my collection. 21 minutes. I paid about a dollar per minute, then. It'd be a bargain at twice the price. Let me know if you want any other OOP Fowley records - I've got a few.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31382729/Kim_Fowley_-_Love_Is_Alive_and_Well.rar.html

2006-08-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

In Memorium

Road of Blue - The Campus Singers

This is the other album by this early '60's Michigan-based folk duo (the other one was posted here). Again, this is a piece from its time - pure voiced, cheeky, traditionally based songs. If you go for that sound, it's a really good one.

Two years later, some producer would have taken Road of Blue, put a little reverbed electric guitar on it, maybe some harmonica, and walked away with a chart hit. Johnny Pate, who plays bass on this, did a lot of arrangements for the Impressions, so he would have been a good choice. A lot of folk-rock bands had big careers without being able to sing half as well.

Jim Brignall, the tenor singer, died 20 years ago today. He was a hell of a guy. After this record, he became involved in civil rights, the anti-war movement, and politics. He and Ted Kistler (bass singer, still with us, also a hell of a guy) used to do one-off shows up until Jim's health failed in the early-'80's.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31233547/Campus_Singers_-_Road_of_Blue.rar.html

2006-08-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

"I would listen to this record a second time only if forcibly strapped to a chair"

Simon Finn - Pass the Distance

The above quote is paraphrased from about the press this one got when it came out in 1970. I guess we're all entitled to our opinion - mine is that the guy who wrote the above is a dumb-ass. He was probably looking for Sweet Baby James, instead.

In the reviewer's defense, this record is a tough listen. Our man Finn is clearly at the edge. Sometimes, the combination of the bizarre production, Tolkein lyrics, and over-the-top singing gets a little grating. But still, this record kicks the shit out of what passed for good at the time.

A lot of music from the time gets compared to Syd Barrett, and this one is no exception. In my opinion, noone ever sounded like Syd Barrett - that's why Syd was one of the best. But Simon does go in that direction with some of the better numbers here. I'd say Oar might be a better comparison, although again a superior record.

http://rapidshare.de/files/31096072/Pass_the_Distance.rar.html

2006-08-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

Baroque Garage

Jeff Monn - Reality

There were a bunch of albums that came out in that brief '67-'68 period that sort of define a genre. Forever Changes is the biggest and probably the best. There's also Emotions by the Pretties (a little earlier, but roll with me here). Between the Buttons. Village Green. And lots of knock-offs.

The theme is garage band + full band arrangements = mature sound. I've heard these records called baroque, but that's not really accurate. Baroque period classical was all point / counter-point stuff. But what the hell, why be a pedant about the shit. It's a good and short-lived sound.

This one is not the best of the bunch by a long shot. But I do like it. Jeff Monn was the singer of the Third Bardo, a garage band with a single great song. On his first full-length he comes up with a fistful of pretty good songs, and a fair amount of filler and covers. The arrangements, by PDQ Bach, are really nice - not overbearing, and retain the snarly edge.

This is a mediocre vinyl rip from my old burner. I'd do a better one, but it was a borrowed record. I'd love to see this one get reissued right - there's a lot of inferior stuff that gets pushed back into the market. And it's damn impossible to find an original.

http://rapidshare.de/files/30911711/Jeff_Monn_-_Reality.rar.html

2006-08-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Comments, Kids!

Oh, sure, you come and take the albums, but you don't even say thank you. The reason I do this is to hear the feedback from other people about the records I put up there. No feedback, no fun. So come on, click the comments button. For me.

2006-08-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

Like Gordon Lightfoot, After He Lost His Mind

David Ackles - Five and Dime

This is the last album David Ackles made. His first three Elektra records got the remaster / reissue treatment a couple years ago. This one is still waiting for rediscovery.

I'm not sure why this one doesn't get the respect the others do. I think it is every bit as good as his last two Elektras, and better than the first one.

Getting through one of Dave's records can be a bit of a chore. He can veer a little close to Billy Joel territory on some of his torch songs. But listen a little closer, and this is some dark stuff.

By this time, he's gotta know that he'll never make it. So he let's loose with some of his most bizarre stuff yet. Surf's Down and Jenna Saves, in particular, are pretty sardonic little toe-tappers. They may superficially sound like AM radio hits of the time, but they are pretty damn unhinged.

The only time I ever saw this record was the time I bought it. It can't be too plentiful. So, if you've enjoyed any of his other stuff, give this a try. If you haven't, try Subway To the Country next. It's a monster.

http://rapidshare.de/files/30674182/David_Ackles_-_Five_and_Dime.rar.html

2006-08-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

There's No Tropicalia In This Post

Modulo 1000 - Nao Fale Com Paredes

Most of the US focus on Brazilian music from the late '60's - early '70's has been on Tropicalia sounds. Cute, fuzzy, pop-psych stuff with a bit of a tropical lilt. This on the other hand..

This album is heavy as hell. Big organ and guitar sounds. Heavy 4/4 beats. Only the Portugese tips it off as being Brazilian.

It's also rare as hell. There have been a couple reissues over time, none that I can tell are legit. Mine is burned from a boot lp from probably the late-90's. The sound is not super - kind of bassy and muddy. There's even a part where I could swear there's a skip in the master. That's what you get when you master from a vinyl copy, I guess.

I wouldn't call this great all the way through, but it's a solid B+. Have fun with it.

http://rapidshare.de/files/30667701/Modulo_1000_-_Nao_Fale_Com_Paredes.rar.html

2006-08-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

He's not really a lord, you know

A Most Immaculately Hip Aristocrat - Lord Buckley

Lord Buckley wasn't a musician, but he knew a lot of them. He was sort of a comic and sort of a poet. Kind of like Jack Kerouac with a sense of humor, I guess.

He was ahead of his time in many ways. He was one of the first show biz types to experiment with acid, long before Stanford got Kesey and the rest of the beats involved. He was using naughty words (albeit disguised in hipster patter) before Lenny Bruce had a criminal record. And he was blasphemous before blasphemy was cool. You could even argue that his creative use of language was a precursor of the best rap music. If his Lordship hadn't have died in 1960, you could picture the following decade to have been his oyster.

But he did die. And has languished in obscurity since. Frank Zappa put out this archival recording in 1969, but it was more than ten years old by then. This doesn't contain his most famous bit - the one about Jesus being the Nazz - but it's got some good stuff.

In Buckley's world, Albert Einstein is the Hip Einie, and the Marquis de Sade has been getting bad rapped all the way. It'll take a few listens to unravel the direction of the narrative, but well worth your time. Give this one a try, as you like it.

http://rapidshare.de/files/30528038/Lord_Buckley_-_A_Most_Immaculately_Hip_Aristocrat.rar.html

2006-08-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

The Sitar Player Is Drunk Again

Don't Blame It On Lee - Milman / Brignall Enigma

This is a giveaway single that came with the first pressing of the MBE's Bafflemania album that came out earlier this year. To my ears, they are one of the few modern bands that have the balls to go out on a limb and risk making complete fools of themselves. And by risking looking foolish, they actually pull off a rarity - an album not bound by genre or slavish devotion to their record collection.

You'll immediately hear how this single didn't make the album. The intonation and tempo are a bit, erm, dodgy. But that's part of the fun. This song sounds like a drunken blow-out at the country and eastern bar down the street.

How many bizarre features can we spot in this song? Let's list 'em:
1) The harmonies, or unisons, if you are a music snob. The lead is a basso profundo. So they decide to double the note AN OCTAVE LOWER. I'm not sure if it's tape manipulation, or real, but it's damn weird.
2) Sitar / pedal steel combination. These two instruments work surprisingly well together, as both are drone producers, and both bend up and down from true pitch. These two push and pull against the simple cowpunk melody like the bed spins.
3) Guitar solo. What else to do with a solo in a sitar country song but go all Brian Goddam Eno? Dude plays the first few bars like he's wringing pus out of an open wound. The notes are all in key, but they cut through like nothing you've heard before. Freaky deaky.

I'm curious what others think of this one. If people dig it, I'll consider posting the whole album.

http://rapidshare.de/files/30431856/Don_t_Blame_It_On_Lee.rar.html