Aural Plexus

Dr. John The Night Tripper - Gris-Gris (1968)

2009-11-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

Dr. John: The Night Tripper - Gris-Gris
(Atco 1968)

Fantastic voodoo-blues-psych-soul awesomeness. Malcom Rebennack (a.k.a. Dr. John) is perhaps best known for 1973's "Right Place Wrong Time" ("I been in the right place, but it musta been the wrong time..."). That's a really great track, but "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" is a whole 'nother kind of really great. Check it out. Click the three dots down there to get your groove on.

01. Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya
02. Danse Kalinda Ba Doom
03. Mama Roux
04. Danse Fambeaux
05. Croker Courtbullion
06. Jump Sturdy
07. I Walk On Gilded Splinters

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Dust - Dust s/t (1971)

2009-04-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Dust - Self-titled
(Kama Sutra 1971)

Classic overlooked 70s heavy (but not terribly heavy...bummer, right?) rock with sliding guitars and that white-boy blues sound. Power rock or whatever you want to call it. Features drummer, Marc Bell, who went on to become Marky Ramone.

01. Stone Woman
02. Chasin' Ladies
03. Goin' Easy
04. Love Me Hard
05. From a Dry Camel
06. Often Shadow Felt
07. Loose Goose

Preview Track (click to hear): Love Me Hard
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Morning After - Blue Blood (1971)

2008-12-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

Morning After - Blue Blood

(Shadoks -orig. 1971)

Well, hullo. Where have you been? I've been around, you missed me? That's sweet! And so is this fuzzy album.

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Issac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (Stax/Enterprise, 1969)

2008-11-22T10:07:00.001-08:00

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
(Stax / Enterprise 1969)

Four songs in forty-five minutes. Wiki has some interesting stuff to say about the album,

"The album almost never came to be. Hayes' solo debut, Presenting Isaac Hayes, had been a poor seller for Stax Records, and Hayes was about to return to his behind-the-scenes role as a producer and songwriter at the venerable soul label when it suddenly lost its complete back catalog after splitting with Atlantic Records in May 1968. Stax executive Al Bell decided to release a new, almost instant, back catalog of 27 albums and 30 singles at once, ordered all of Stax's artists to record new material, and encouraged some of Stax's prominent creative staff, including Hayes and Steve Cropper, to record solo albums.Burned by the retail flop of Presenting Isaac Hayes, Hayes told Bell that he would not cut a follow-up unless he was granted complete creative control. Since Bell had encouraged Hayes to record Presenting... in the first place, he readily agreed."

"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" takes some patience, the whole album does really...but it's worth it. Get your groove on, baby.

01. Walk on By
02. Hyperbolicsyllablicsesquedalymistic
03. One Woman
04. By the Time I Get to Phoenix

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13 Ghosts - 13 Crimson Ghosts (2000)

2008-10-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

13 Ghosts - Thirteen Crimson Ghosts
(Babydoll?, 2000)

Surf-styled tribute to the Misfits. Tributes are tricky but you can never really go wrong with surf. Turn it up and fill in your own vocals. You do know the words, don't you?

01. Halloween
02. Where Eagles Dare
03. London Dungeon
04. Some Kinda Hate
05. 20 Eyes
06. Angelfuck
07. Hollywood Babylon
08. Attitude
09. Ghouls Night Out
10. Horror Business
11. Return of the Fly
12. Skulls
13. Astro Zombies
14. Spook City U.S.A.

Preview Track (Click to hear): Where Eagles Dare

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Screamin' Jay Hawkins - At Home With Jay in the Wee Wee Hours (Midnight, 1988)

2008-10-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - At Home With Jay in the Wee Wee Hours
(Midnight, 1988)

Here's Screamin' Jay Hawkins live at Jack the Ribber's in 1984. Just Jay and the piano and he's got a lot of cheesy jokes and limericks to share with you between tracks. A welcome guest at our little Halloween party we've got going here. Enjoy.

01. Lawd, Lawd, Lawd
02. Hong Kong
03. Downstairs
04. Cherry Pie
05. In Her Room
06. Constipation Blues
07. I Need Your Love
08. Feast Of The Mau Mau
09. Let It Roll
10. Make The Blues Rock/Bite It
11. I Put A Spell On You (A Curse Of The 80's)

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Various Artists - Death Dealers (Nightstalk-1)

2008-10-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Various Artists - Death Dealers
(Nightstalk-1, Year N/A?)

In honor of the creepiest month of the year, I'm going to post Halloween-related (spooky) albums throughout October. First up, here's a full-on creepy compilation for ya. It's a collection of punk and country-styled tunes about serial killers with some serial killer interviews thrown in. The Elvis cover art is a painting by John Wayne Gacy. The interviews aren't particularly appealing but the tunes are great fun. Don't believe me? Well, I should just grind you up and save you in the freezer for later but I'm too nice for that so instead, I'll offer you up a preview track and maybe that'll convince you that this is something you want to hear during this our most sinister time of year. Bwahhahaahahah!

Preview Track (click to hear): Psycho - Eddie Noack

01. Dolores (Eddie Noack)
02. Ed Kempe Interview
03. Psycho (Eddie Noack)
04. Charles Manson Interview
05. California Hippie Murders (Red River Dave)
06. Ed Gein Interview (not with Ed himself)
07. Grind Her Up (The Uncalled 4)
08. Otis Toole Interview
09. John Wayne Gacy Interview
10. Gacy's Place (The Mentally Ill)
11. John Wayne Gacy Interview
12. Albert Albert (The Bugs)
13. Albert Desalvo Police Pres Conference
14. Strangler in the Night (The Bugs)
15. The Tower (Johnny Legend)
16. Jeffery Dahmer Interview

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Various Artists - Chains and Black Exhaust (Memphix, 2002)

2008-09-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Various Artists - Chains and Black Exhaust
(Memphix, 2002)

Compilation of obscure psych funk 45s from the seventies. It's very good (of course).

Preview (Click to hear): Cynthy Ruthy by Back Merda, Potted Shrimp by Brothers Jackson

01. Prologue
02. Yeah Yeah (Blackrock)
03. Cynthy-Ruthy (Black Merda)
04. Mama, Here Comes the Preacher (Doug Anderson)
05. Showstopper (Iron Knowledge)
06. Dancing in the Light (Frankinsense)
07. Blind Man (LA Carnival)
08. Life is a Gamble (Preacher)
09. I Believe I Found Myself (Sir Stanley)
10. Potted Shrimp (Brothers Jackson)
11. Paper Man (Jade)
12. Get High (Grand Am)
13. The Devil Made Me Do It (Curtis Knight)
14. Alladin Story (Slim Haskins)
15. What's Good For the Goose (Hot Chocolate)
16. Who Am I (Tiny Tex & The J. Jones Connection)
17. Epilogue
18. Crystal Illusion (Creations Unlimited)

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Jackie Mittoo

2008-09-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Studio One (the "Motown of Jamaica") music director, pianist, organist, and songwriter. Mittoo was a founding member of The Skatalites and has been backed by the likes of Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, the Heptones, Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, and others. Sit back, relax, and listen in.

Preview (Click to hear.): Gold Mine

"Can I Change My Mind" Coxsone 7" 1969
"Dark Of The Moon" Bamboo 7" 1969
"Gold Dust" Bamboo 7" 1969
"Gold Mine Coxsone" 7" 1970
"Moon Walk" Bamboo 7" 1969
"Our Thing" Bamboo 7" 1969
"Real Gone Loser" (2:22) Bamboo 7" 1969
"Sure Shot" Coxsone 7" 1968
"West Of The Sun" Coxsone 7" 1969

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Shinki Chen - Shinki Chen and His Friends (Polydor, 1971)

2008-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

陳信輝
Shinki Chen - Shinki Chen and His Friends
(Polydor, 1971)

Heavy Psych. Fuzzy Bass. Echoes in a cave vocals. As long as we're in the habit of comparing these lesser known folks to the big names, this guy is oft referred to as "Japan's Hendrix." Very chill, very good. Click it and dig it. Skip over the first track and I won't hold it against you because I tend to skip to the good stuff myself.

Preview (Click to hear.): Requiem of Confusion

01. The Dark Sea Dream
02. Requiem of Confusion
03. Freedom of a Mad Paper Lantern
04. Gloomy Reflections
05. It Was Only Yesterday
06. Corpse
07. Farewell to Hypocrites

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Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain (Earache, 1993)

2008-09-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain
(Earache, 1993)

Like Black Sabbath? Try this! At least, that seems to be the consensus among most listeners. I like the way one Rate Your Music user has put it, "More Sabbath than Sabbath." Sounds good to me. Sleep are much talked about for their notorious "Dopesmoker" album. Outside of the novelty of a band that created an album of a single hour-long track, Sleep put together some fantastic tunes of slow, heavy, guitar and tap your fingers along drums. It's great music for when you're driving alone or just messing around at home. I suppose it'd be a good soundtrack for hitting the bong too, but you'll have to give that a go for yourself and let me know how that works out for you. Try it, you might like it.

Preview (Click to hear.): Dragonaut

01. Dragonaut
02. The Druid
03. Evil Gypsy / Solomon's Theme
04. Some Grass
05. Aquarian
06. Holy Mountain
07. Inside the Sun
08. From Beyond
09. Nain's Baptism
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Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline (Columbia, 1969)

2008-09-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline
(Columbia, 1969)

Yeah, it's this guy called Bob Dylan. You might have heard of him before.
I was driving on a lonely stretch of highway one afternoon nearly ten years ago, listening to the radio (gasp! radio?! what's that?!) when this then unfamiliar song came on and caught my ears' attention. It was "Lay, Lady, Lay" and I had no idea who it was but I knew I was in love with the man. Who could resist an invitation to lay across a "big brass bed" and see all the "colors you have in your mind?" Imagine my surprise when I looked the song up later and found out it was Bob Dylan. "Well, yeah...duh." you say? Well, this was a different Bob Dylan, a twangy, horny (though this may just be projection on my part), crooning, Bob Dylan. Apparently, back in the late 60s, Dylan grew tired of the "voice of a generation" persona he'd been labeled with and decided to turn his sound around and show another side, a side that said "Shut the hell up. There's more to me than that." Dylan was tired of the fans who expected more of him than just the music. He'd had enough of fanatics sneaking on to his property and disturbing him while he was trying to lead his private life, with his family. So, he recorded this album in Nashville, devoting one day of the sessions to duets with Johnny Cash. It's only 29 minutes long, which is a delight because you can enjoy it from front to back even when you've not got a lot of time to spare, it's a quickie. Apparently, there are better versions of most of these tunes on bootlegs but I've never really noticed that these studio tracks were lacking, myself. Now, I've got to give those alternate versions a shot. I wonder a bit whether hearing those is something like when you're young and you've been dry humping guys/girls for a while and finding it a thrill, only to eventually get down to actual sex and think, "Wow. That dry humping just won't feel the same now, will it?" Well, here's the dry humping, maybe I'll post the sex for you another day. ;)

01. "Girl from the North Country" (with Johnny Cash)
02. "Nashville Skyline Rag"
03. "To Be Alone with You"
04. "I Threw It All Away"
05. "Peggy Day"
06. "Lay Lady Lay"
07. "One More Night"
08. "Tell Me That It Isn't True"
0 9. "Country Pie"
10. "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You"

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Johnny Burnette - Crazy Date: Rock And Roll Demos Vol. 1 (Norton Records,2007)

2008-08-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Johnny Burnette - Crazy Date: Rock And Roll Demos Volume 1
Norton Records,2007

LAME -V0 (vbr)
Includes: Front cover, m3u playlist, nfo

One of the pioneers of rockabilly, Johnny Burnette and his brother Dorsey formed The Rock And Roll Trio along with Paul Burlison. He never found a whole lot of real success with that group, but would later on in the early sixties after meeting Ricky Nelson, but as a teenage heartthrob instead of a wild country rocker. Even most of his rockabilly songs are all love oriented, but they're still pretty frantic at times (remember, these are all songs from the early fifties).

Unfortunately, even the fame he did gain didn't last long - in 1964 while fishing late at night, he was struck by a cabin boat and he was ejected from his boat and subsequently drowned.

Favorite Tracks: You Gotta Get Ready, Keep Me In Mind

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The Astronettes - The Astronettes (Astronettes Records , 1990)

2008-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Astronettes - The Astronettes
(Astronettes Records, 1990)

Instrumental surf rock from a nude all girl band? Count me in. (Even if I have seen folks claiming this band is not what they seem to be. Actually an Astronauts rarities bootleg? Well, that works for me too!)

Preview Track (click to play): Martian Pyramid Stomp , Drinkin' and Astronavigatin'

01. Che! Che! Che!
02. Martian Pyramid Stomp
03. Moving
04. Hot Dog Foot
05. Firewaters of Alpha Gabba
06. Space Party
07. Drinkin' and Astronavigatin'
08. Surf into Space
09. Gouch!
10. Quiet Planet
11. Space Silent
12. Space Cock (or Dock?)
13. Quasimoto X9

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Broadcast - HaHa Sound (Warp,2003)

2008-08-06T08:51:00.001-07:00

Broadcast - HaHa Sound (Warp,2003)

LAME -V0 (vbr)
Includes: Front cover

The first comparison Broadcast is usually subject to is that of Stereolab (whose own Duophonic label released "Living Room", one of Broadcast's first singles) due to their similar experimental/psychedelic breed of electronica, and there's a few good reasons for that. Several tracks to me sound like a blend of Silver Apples and Stereolab, and it's actually pulled off pretty well. Throw in some deadly beautiful singing courtesy of Trish Keenan, and you've got their own version of Lætitia Sadier.

Normally I tend to skip right over just about everything labeled with "Electronica", but after seeing it listed in B-Music's "A-Z Essentials", I had to give it a shot. Not to mention that the endorsement was from Andy Votel himself:

"Angelic vocals float over honey-coated basslines, and aero-light drumbeats punctuate digital distortion and musique-concrete tape loops. This is how Birmingham's Broadcast create some of the most painfully authentic 60's psychedelia this side of the millennium while still turning out some of the most melodic, contemporary pop music of our time. Imagine a young Ennio Morricone conducting the Radiophonic Workshop at Andy Warhol's 'Exploding Plastic Inevitable'."

Favorite Tracks: Pendulum, Man Is Not A Bird
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Various Artists - Yellow Pills: Prefille (Numero Group,2004)

2008-07-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Various Artists - Yellow Pills: Prefill
Numero Group,2004

LAME -V2 (vbr)
Includes: Box art, front cover

I'll just get this out of the way: If you're not familiar with the work that the folks at Numero Group have been doing over the past few years, you need to wake up.

Recently I've been listening to a lot of the new John Peel compilation "Perfect Unpop: Peel Show Hits and Long-Lost Lo-Fi Favourites Vol.1 - 1976-1980" and realized that man do I love some well done pop from that era. I don't know nearly enough about the genre, but I do know that one of the first compilations I heard that really exposed the more "underground" style of this music to me personally was Yellow Pills: Prefill. And well, I figured that there'd be no better way to share my love for that album than to share it here.

Numero has dedicated themselves to bringing forth forgotten gems of all varieties out into the limelight where it belongs. Whether it be solo acoustic guitar work, funk, country or in this case power pop - they have proven to be some very fine purveyors of lost music that *deserves* recognition.

Hitting you head on with full force from the get go, there's "Green Hearts" by Luxury. Track two doesn't let up, hell if anything its even more spastic and fun, with "I Need That Record" from The Tweeds. Fast forward a bit to "You Need Pop" by The Speedies. Again, excellent stuff. Rather than basically say the same thing over and over for all 30+ tracks, I'll just say that there's not a soft spot on this compilation, and if you ask me that's really something considering this is a 2 disc set.

The original Yellow Pills series started being released in 1993 by Jordan Oaks (a few years after he started a power pop fanzine with the same name) so that he could share his love for raw pop tunes that dominated a lot of airwaves in the late 70s and early 80s that he loved so much. "Prefill" serves as a bit of a precursor of these tunes, one which represents some of the rarest & rowdiest the genre has to offer.

I know summer is almost over already, but I highly suggest that you take this album out with you and just drive around or go swimming with your pals in the hot sun and soak up the (sound)waves.

Favorite Tracks:
Luxury - Green Eyes & One In A Million
The Sponsors - In And Out Of Love
The Bats - Not Easy For Me
Randy Winburn - Sunshine U.S.A.

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The Deviants - The Deviants 3 (Sire, 1969)

2008-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Deviants - Deviants 3
(Sire, 1969)

This 1969 release was The Deviants' third album. Sometimes it's referred to as "The Deviants 3," or "#3," or simply "The Deviants." Three of the four Deviants ditched the lead vocalist to become the "Pink Fairies" shortly after this album. You can read up on The Deviants more here. Some sites say this is inferior to the albums which came before. I don't know about all of that, I just know that there are some thoroughly enjoyable tracks on this one and I think that is some of the damned sweetest cover art I've seen in a long time. I will say that I am left a bit unsatisfied by "Death of a Dream Machine." It's such a solid tune, rolling right along and then it ends in one of those hugely anticlimactic fade-outs. Snag this thing, give it a listen, and make up your own mind about it, friends. 'Til next week, enjoy!

Note: The tags are kind of whacked out on this. I forgot to fix them before I uploaded. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you won't notice or care anyway and if you do know what I'm talking about, then it'll only take you a few seconds to fix them. Feel free to berate me in the comments section. ;)

Preview Tracks (click to play): The People Suite, Broken Biscuits

01. Billy the Monster
02. Broken Biscuits
03. First Line (Seven The Row)
04. The People Suite
05. Rambling B(l)ack Transit Blues
06. Death of a Dream Machine
07. Playtime
08. Black George Does It With His Tongue
09. The Junior Narco Rangers
10. Lets Drink To the People
11. Metamorphis Explosion

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Various Artists - I Stayed Up All Night Listening To Records (Anyway Records,1998)

2008-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Various Artists - I Stayed Up All Night Listening To Records
(Anyway Records,1998)

LAME -APS (vbr)
Includes: front cover, nfo, m3u, log

There's something about lo-fi music that I can't help but find really appealing. It can be anything from old gospel to rowdy garage rock but I guess there's something about it that makes it seem more special. I always like these recordings where seemingly average people were able to put out tunes that were really enjoyable without having to be on some huge label with million dollar studios or fancy equipment - and that by doing this it seemed to me to encourage anyone who loves music to just go out and do it.

On "I Stayed Up All Night Listening To Records...", its "90's indie rock" music that's being showcased. Subtitled "A Collection of Field Recordings" it features a large selection of (mostly Ohio native) musicians well known (well, in an underground sense of the word I guess) in the small label Indie circuit of the time, cutting some highly lo-fi/intimate/stripped down indie rock/pop tunes. To be perfectly honest, the reason I got this was because it had a track from Dump on it (for those unfamiliar, the side project of one James McNew of Yo La Tengo fame). I didn't really know any one else on the album at all to any real extent. Many fans of the genre will however recognize (as I do now) names like Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Simon Joyner or Don Howland.

The opener from Jake O'Clay is a bit of an eye opener (in not the most appealing way) but it's still fun, and to me that's what listening to this should be about. The remaining tracks all have a somewhat similar feel to it (mid tempo indie ballads is one description I've read that fits the bill pretty well) with a good combination of solo acoustic tracks as well as straight up indie rock complete with solos and feedback.

A great quote that I think really holds true and can sum up the album is that it "has the feel of a rediscovered favorite mix tape, one that truly merits staying up all night to listen to."

Favorite Tracks:
Bill Fox - Electrocution
Jake Housh - Testament
Dump - It's Not Awright
Smelt Daddy - How Low Can You Go

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Tracklisting found in comments

Devo - Hardcore Devo Vol.1 & 2 (1990, 91)

2008-07-11T22:11:00.001-07:00

I'm a week behind in my posts, so this week I'm offering up a 2-fer. I'll have to come back around and throw some text down in the coming days. In the mean time here's the most important bit. Enjoy!

Volume 1 ....
Volume 2 ....

Ray Sharpe - Linda Lu (Bear Family,1995)

2008-07-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ray Sharpe - Linda Lu
(Bear Family,1995)

256 cbr
Includes: Front Cover, Back Cover, m3u, nfo

I first stumbled across Ray Sharpe one late night while drooling over the always awesome Norton Records (www.nortonrecords.com) mailorder catalog (go git one, you won't regret it!). They were offering one unopened original copy of his 1964 LP "Welcome Back Linda Lu" priced at $150! Needless to say, I began scouring the depths of the internets trying to find some sort of glimpse at what this (seemingly) important album sounded like.

I don't remember exactly where I dug this up, but it was no surprise that the folks at Germany's Bear Family (www.bear-family.de) label were responsible for the fine compilation featured here today. Somehow Bear Family always manages to dig up the most obscure cuts from legendary artists of the 50's (and beyond) and then produce some of the largest, most extensively researched box sets known to man (including The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, Johnny Burnette and more).

One of the first "one hit wonders", Linda Lu was written for a friend of Sharpe's who's girlfriend Linda (surprise!) was a frequent visitor to a night club they attended and "had a fascinating rear end, so to speak". The rest of the album is great fun too, but it's Linda Lu that steals the thunder right off the bat - and deservedly so.

Though once dubbed "the greatest white-sounding black dude ever" by Major Bill Smith, Ray Sharpe never really found much success beyond that hit single (it reached #46 on the Billboard Charts in 1959). It is nice to know however, that Ray is still going strong and was even present at a recent Ponderosa Stomp (www.ponderosastomp.com) in New Orleans.

Oh, and did I mention that Linda Lu was produced by none other than Lee Hazelwood? And that it also featured guitar work from Duane Eddy and Al Casey? Yeah.

Favorite Tracks: Linda Lu, Monkey's Uncle

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Sunburned Hand Of The Man - Earth Do Eagles Do (Manhand,2007)

2008-07-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Sunburned Hand Of The Man - Earth Do Eagles Do
(Manhand,2007)

224 cbr
Includes: m3u, front cover

Anyone even remotely interested in the whole "Neo-Psychdelia" craze that's been going pretty strong over the past several years are no doubt familiar with the Sunburned folks. They've amassed more than 100 albums amongst their dozens of offshoot bands (around 30 releases in 2007 alone!) on several different labels (including the likes of Fuck It Tapes, Ecstatic Peace, Smalltown Supersound and their own Manhand label) and have a sound that touches on experimental, psych, folk and beyond. With each new release, you never quite know what you're going to get - but you can guess that it's gonna be one helluva trip.

Earth Do Eagles Do is my personal favorite (that I've heard so far anyway, which really isn't all that much compared to all of the stuff they've done) - as it tends to stick to a more traditional psych rock oriented style. This album in particular is from a live show (recorded in Finland, though I don't know the year) and the energy as well as the groove are definitely present, not to mention there are vocals on most of the tracks as compared to several of the other albums I've heard where they're pretty scarce.

As with probably 80% of their material, this is long sold out as far as I know so this is probably one of your few chances to give it a listen.

Favorite Tracks: Don't Get Burned, Gateway Circle

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Sam Cooke -Live at Harlem the Square Club, 1963 (RCA, 1985)

2008-06-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
(RCA, 1985)

LAME V0

Everyone knows a Sam Cooke tune. Even if they don't know who sings it, they've at least heard "Cupid," "You Send Me," or any of the other twenty-nine Top 40 Hits Sam had between 1957 and 1965 playing over the grocery store speakers. Y'know what I have to say about that? I have to say, "It's not enough! They need to hear more!"

This is no obscure record, it's a classic and I think it's a damned shame that there are ears on this planet that haven't had the pleasure of listening to it straight through. The studio versions of these classic tunes are a delight, that's sure, but they can't hold a candle to the power of this live performance. It's not polished and clean, it's a little rough and raw and I like it that way. It's as though you can hear the sweat on Cooke's brow along with his every guttural "Ha!" and every howl of approval from the crowd. Sam's amazingly passionate, sometimes even desperate, vocals are so convincing and moving on tunes like "Bring It On Home" that it's easy to forget that he was only a young thirty-three years old when he died in 1964, a year after this performance was recorded.

It's my understanding that this album wasn't actually released until 1985, if I'm wrong on that, someone drop me a line and let me know. I'm only including one preview track because you've got to hear the whole thing, to really appreciate what is easily one of the greatest live albums ever made.

PLAY IT LOUD AND SHAKE WHAT YOUR MOMMA GAVE YOU!!! : )

Favorite Tracks (click to play): Bring It On Home

01. Feel It
02. Chain Gang
03. Cupid
04. Medley: It's All Right / For Sentimental Reasons
05. Twisting the Night Away
06. Somebody Have Mercy
07. Bring It On Home to Me
08. Nothing Can Change This Love
09. Having a Party

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The Pyramids - Birth/Speed/Merging (EM Records,2006)

2008-06-25T18:59:00.001-07:00

The Pyramids - Birth/Speed/Merging
(Originally self released on Pyramid Records,1976)

LAME -APS (vbr)
Includes: m3u, nfo, front cover, back cover

I've never been a big fan of Free Jazz (I don't mind certain elements of it: the skronk, the improv and so on, but only in small doses), but there's just something about this album that I absolutely love. I've heard a few of the tracks on this album dozens of times now (we'll get back to that later) and the only thing that I can decide on is that it's the drum rhythms and percussion that draw me in every time.

The Pyramids were formed by Idris Ackamoor sometime in the early 70s (71? 72? - their first album "Lalibela" was released in '73 and he was playing in another group called The Collective in '71) and combined elements of free jazz with african tribal styled beats, but that's not it... you'll also find hints of psychedelia, krautrock, and raga. It sounds like a really strange blend of genres, but it just flows together really nicely.

I first came across this because of another release: "Music Of Idris Ackamoor 1971-2004" which EM Records of Japan put out (along with reissuing Birth/Speed/Merging). EM Records has been held on a very high pedestal for a few years now by my favorite review site/retailer, Aquarius Records, and with the gushing praise this album received I knew I had to check it out. Thus began a heightened interest in the genre of afro-jazz and free jazz in general...always hoping to find another album that I like as much.

In all the Ackamoor retrospective is probably better, or is at least my personal favorite, but this is a great starter album (this clocks in at only 45mins as opposed to 135+ mins of the former) as it still has some great material on it (as I sort of mentioned earlier, 2 of the tracks also appear on the compilation).

Be sure to give the folks at EM Records (www.emrecords.net) a visit - they've got a ton of other essential releases out there!

Favorite Track: Birth/Speed/Merging Suite Part 1: Aomawa
...

George Carlin - Class Clown (Little David, 1972)

2008-06-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

George Carlin - Class Clown
(Little David, 1972)

George Carlin passed away yesterday. He was a very cool man and will be greatly missed. Let's all "say a prayer to Joe Pesci" in George's name. Here's 1972's "Class Clown" album featuring the infamous "Seven Words..." routine.

See ya Friday,
-BA

01. Class Clown
02. Wasting Time: Sharing a Swallow
03. Values (How Much Is That Dog Crap in the Window?)
04. I Used to Be Irish Catholic
05. The Confessional
06. Special Dispensation: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and Limbo
07. Heavy Mysteries
08. Muhammad Ali / America the Beautiful
09. Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television

....

The Monks - Black Monk Time (Infinite Zero,1997)

2008-06-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

The Monks - Black Monk Time
(Infinite Zero, 1997 reissue w/ bonus tracks.)
(Original release was Polydor, 1966.)

192cbr Xing
Includes: front cover

Woohoo, my first post! I've been struggling with what to post and finally decided to go with one of my absolute favorites ever, Monks' (or "The Monks," if you prefer) Black Monk Time.

O.G.s of feedback, mad men of rhythm, Krautrock pioneers(?), these disgruntled American soldiers stationed in 1960s Germany came together to blow off some steam. Their unholy musical union birthed the amazing Black Monk sound (Monkmusik) which combines raging banjo, the badassest organ this side of that opening bit of Bach's Toccata, crazed vocals, chants, and persistant rhythms (I challenge you to try and not drum along on whatever table, steering wheel, or thigh you have within reach! Good luck on that.) to wondrous effect.
I sincerely love this album, and I hope you will too.

Check out their official website (it's not hard to find) for lots of good reads and photos of the fellas in all of their tonsured glory.

Favorite Tracks (click to hear): Monk Time, I Hate You, Complication

01. Monk Time
02. Shut Up
03. Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice
04. Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy
05. I Hate You
06. Oh, How to Do Now
07. Complication
08. We Do Wie Du
09. Drunken Maria
10. Love Came Tumblin' Down
11. Blast Off!
12. That's My Girl
13. I Can't Get Over You
14. Cuckoo
15. Love Can Tame the Wild
16. He Went Down to the Sea
17. Monk Chant [Live]
18. I Hate You [Demo Version]
19. Oh, How to Do Now [Demo Version]

....

J.C. Davis - A New Day! (Cali-Tex,2005)

2008-06-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

J.C. Davis - A New Day!

LAME V2 (vbr)
Includes: m3u, nfo, front cover

I couldn't find a more appropriately titled album to start things off with than this gem of a funk record. JC Davis was none other than James Brown's bandleader back in the 70's and the style and feel so wonderfully featured on that era's JB albums carry over very well to these recordings. Plenty of stabbing horns and a slew of great drum breaks really stand out, and it's pretty easy to see why The Godfather of Soul chose Mr. Davis to be in charge of keeping things funky.

It was another J. Davis however, that would try to bring these tracks into the spotlight where they belong - more than 30 years after they were originally released. After one of the highly sought after original 45s was featured in a photo on his album "Endtroducing.....", DJ Shadow decided to meet up with J.C. and work on reissuing the long lost records that he thought so much of...and the result is what you find here.

Favorite Tracks: Circleville, Buttered Popcorn, Shelly

01. Introduction
02. A New Day (Is Here At Last)
03. Circleville
04. Don't Ever Leave Me (Unreleased)
05. Coconut Brown
06. Shelly (Unreleased)
07. Buttered Popcorn
08. A New Day (Is Here At Last) - Alternate Take

....