The Sound - From the lion´s Mouth (1981)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 7:36 AM 0 comments

An assured, relatively loose follow-up to the fraught and frayed Jeopardy, From the Lion's Mouth entrenched the Sound's stature as no mere flash in the pan. It should have shot them directly between spots occupied by the like-minded Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen as post-punk legends, but the Fates had something else in mind, and so the quartet took their place right next to touring mates the Comsat Angels in the section marked "Deserved Better." With some semblance of a recording budget, the Sound went into the studio with talented producer Hugh Jones on board to accentuate the band's winning atmospherics. As a result, the sound is fuller, less pungent. And speaking of winning, the snake-charming opener "Winning" is like a dash of cold water in the faces of all the bands that were wallowing and withering away at the weeping well: "I was going to drown/Then I started swimming/I was going down/then I started winning." This, in a sense, exemplifies the point that the Sound were not mopes. They had their problems with life, but rather than just vent or escape from them, they confront them and ask questions and attempt to sort it all out. Most of the record has an effortless thrust to it, and only occasionally — for maximum effect — does the Sound whip out the heavy artillery. If "The Fire" sounds too bombastic and pummeling, listen closer. The bass is the lead instrument, the keyboards are just as prominent as the guitars, and it only sounds like chest beating compared to the rest of the songs. From the Lion's Mouth shifts, glides, winds, accelerates, and decelerates with all the grace and precision of an Olympic downhill skier. And what a great record it is. [The Renascent label's 2002 reissue offers spectacular sound and slyly hides the fair 1982 single "Hothouse" within the last track. Prior to his death, Adrian Borland voiced his wish to have the reissue stick to the original running order with no bonus tracks for purity's sake, so the label's (appreciated) move appears to be a sneaky way of going around it.]
Tracks
1. Winning
2. Sense Of Purpose
3. Contact The Fact
4. Skeletons
5. Judgement
6. Fatal Flaw
7. Possession
8. Fire
9. Silent Air
10. New Dark Age
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Klaus Nomi - Klaus Nomi (1981)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 5:04 AM 0 comments

Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 - August 6, 1983), better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly, elven stage persona.

Nomi was known for his bizarrely theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical music opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Strikes". He is perhaps best remembered by the general public as being one of David Bowie's backing singers during a 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live.[1]

Nomi was one of the first celebrities to contract AIDS. He died in 1983 at the age of 39 as a result of complications from the disease.
Tracks
01. Keys Of Life
02. Lightning Strikes
03. The Twist
04. Nomi Song
05. You Don't Own Me
06. The Cold Song
07. Wasting My Time
08, Total Eclipse
09. Nomi Chant
10. Samson And Delilah (Aria)
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The Associates - Fourth Drawer Down (1982)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 4:35 AM 0 comments

'Fourth Drawer Down' is a compilation of singles the group produced in their pre-'Sulk' days. All those who enjoyed the maddening synth aspect on the following album will probably seek most enjoyment from the offerings here. Sadly, the tunes so promiment on 'Sulk' are largely absent on this collection; harsh synths and sinister unapproachable rhythms are very much the order of the day. The few bright moments occur when a deviation from the abrasive formula is utilised such as 'The Associate' and 'Kissed', both of them are instrumental efforts whereas 'Tell Me Easter's On A Friday' possesses a more mainstream feel. Oddly, Mackenzie's vocal mannerisms work best on 'Blue Soap' as he croons his way through the track whilst in the bath and its preferable to him using a hoover as a microphone on 'Kitchen Person'. A brave excursion into sonic experimentation this may well be, but sometimes it's best to be clever rather than smart-arsed.
Tracks
01 White Car In Germany
02 A Girl Named Property
03 Kitchen Person
04 Q Quarters
05 Tell Me Easter's On Friday
06 The Associate
07 Message Oblique Speech
08 An Even Whiter Car
09 Fearless (It Takes A Full Moon)
10 Point SI
11 Straw Towels Kissed
13 Blue Soap
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Skip Bifferty - Skip Bifferty (1967)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 1:10 AM 0 comments

Skip Bifferty was a rock band formed in early 1966, when The Chosen Few (Featuring Alan Hull, later of Lindisfarne) from Newcastle upon Tyne changed their name and got a new singer, Graham Bell. Their outings on vinyl were few and far between, but included the much re-issued 1967 album Skip Bifferty, recently released with bonus Radio tracks as "The Story of Skip Bifferty" on Sanctuary Records. Some of their songs were covered by established artistes such as Cilla Black, The Tremeloes and The Kingsmen ("Louie Louie"). They had a following on the "live" circuit and are remembered with great affection. Their manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne.

They went through some personnel changes (Paul Nichols drums on Heavy Jelly). Bassist Colin Gibson went on to work with Ginger Baker, Bert Jansch, Alvin Lee, Van Morrison amongst others. John Turnbull (gtr) and Mick Gallagher (Pno) reappeared in 1977 as The Blockheads, backing Ian Dury.
Tracks
1. Money Man
2. Jeremy Carabine
3. When She Comes To Stay
4. Guru
5. Come Around
6. Time Track
7. Gas Board Underdog
8. Inside The Secret
9. Orange Lace
10. Planting Bad Seeds
11. Yours For At Least
12. Follow The Path Of The Stars
13. Prince Of Germany The First
14. Clearway
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Q65 - Revolution (1966)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 12:56 AM 0 comments

A garage band from The Hague (Netherlands). Also known as the Q or the Kjoe.
The group was founded in 1965 by guitarists Joop Roelofs and Frank Nuyens, togetehr with singer Willem Bieler. The bass player Peter Vink and drummer Jay Baar already knew each other before the Q from the band Leadbelly's Limited. Revolution is their first album.
Tracks
01. The Life I Live (3:23)
02. I Got Nightmares (2:29)
03. Just Who's in Sight (3:11)
04. Mr. Pitiful (2:22)
05. I'm a Man (4:39)
06. Middle-Age Talk (2:30)
07. Summer Thoughts in a Field of Weed (2:26)
08. Down in the Bottom (1:45)
09. Get Out of My Life, Woman (2:28)
10. Spoonful (3:30)
11. Sour Wine * (2:59)
12. Bring It on Home * (13:47)
13. Where Is the Key * (2:20)
14. Voluntary Peacemaker * (5:01)
15. It Came to Me * (2:35)
16. No place to go
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Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding (1967)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 12:27 AM 0 comments

John Wesley Harding is Bob Dylan's 8th studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1967.

Produced by Bob Johnston, the album marked Dylan's return to acoustic music and traditional roots, after three albums of electric rock music. John Wesley Harding was recorded around the same time as (and shares many stylistic threads with) a prolific series of home recording sessions with The Band, finally released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes.

John Wesley Harding was exceptionally well received by critics and enjoyed solid sales, reaching the number 2 slot on U.S. charts and topping the British charts. The commercial performance was considered remarkable considering that Dylan had kept Columbia from releasing the album with much promotion or publicity. Less than three months after its release, John Wesley Harding was certified gold by the RIAA. Although Dylan also decided against releasing a single, "All Along the Watchtower" became one of his most popular songs after it was covered by Jimi Hendrix the following year.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 301 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Morde detailed info about the album HERE.
Tracks
01. John Wesley Harding
02. As I went out one morning
03. I dreamed I saw St. Augustine
04. All along the watchtower
05. The ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
06. Drifter's Escape
07. Dear Landlord
08. I am a lonesome hobo
09. I pity the poor immigrant
10. The wicked messenger
11. Down Along the cove
12. I'll be your baby tonight
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Yoko Ono - Fly (1971)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 2:10 AM 0 comments

Fly is the second album by Yoko Ono. It was produced by Joe Jones and released in 1971. It was a complete avant-garde/Fluxus package in a gatefold sleeve that came with a full-size poster and a postcard to order Ono's book Grapefruit. Notable songs include the singles "Midsummer New York" and "Mrs. Lennon", "Hirake" aka "Open Your Box" and "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand in the Snow)", dedicated to Ono's daughter Kyoko Cox.

"Airmale" is the soundtrack to John Lennon's film Erection, showing a building being erected in time lapsed photography, while "Fly" is the soundtrack to "Fly" the film by Ono.
Tracks
01. Midsummer New York (3:50)
02. Mindtrain (16:52)
03. Mind Holes (2:45)
04. Don't Worry Kyoko (4:55)
05. Mrs. Lennon (4:10)
06. Hirake (Open Your Box) (3:32)
07. Toilet Piece / Unknown (0:30)
08. O'Wind (Body Is the Scar of Your Mind) (5:22)
09. Airmale (Tone Deaf Jam) (10:40)
10. Don't Count the Waves (5:25)
11. You (9:00)
12. Fly (22:53)
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Download 2

Freedoms Children - Galactic Vibes (1971

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 2:04 AM 0 comments

The year is 1971 but the song is '1999'. The group is Freedom's and the vibes are galactic. And now just over 30 years later we can look back at '1999'. This time we can do it without having to get up to turn the record over as the Freedom's Children classic album 'Galactic Vibes' has been given a new lease on life by Retro Fresh.

This is a many layered album, almost to the point of being cluttered, but this is what makes it interesting. Each time you listen you can hear something new, be it a tone in Brian Davidson's wailing vocals, a riff from Julian Laxton's screaming guitar, a sequence of notes from Barry Irwin's booming bass, the change from sticks to hands on Colin Pratley's awesome drumming, or merely putting your ear right up against the speaker to feel the presence of Ramsay MacKay on the live version of 'The Homecoming'.

The centrepiece of Galactic Vibes does not come at the centre of the album, but is the second track. Clocking in at over 16 minutes (that a third of the CD's playing time) is 'The Homecoming'. The shorter version appeared on 'Astra', but this live version has to be one of South Africa's epic tracks. Recorded live at the Out of Town Club (which according to a copy of their flyer in the sleeve notes, advertised a Steak Parlour), the track features a quite stunning and by all accounts legendary drum solo that lasts for the best part of 8 minutes before those dramatic guitar chords herald the return of the rest of the band.

Aside from this monstrous drumfest, the album features some blistering fuzzy edged guitars on the thundering 'That Did It' as well as the quieter and beautiful 'Fields and Me'. There is also the experimental keyboard piece 'The Crazy world of Pod: Electronic Concerto' which is just short enough not to become irritating. '1999', the single, is less busy than most of the other tracks, and is probably the most radio friendly of the lot, although the orchestration on 'About the Dove and his King' adds a beauty and quality sheen to what is quite a rough rock sound.

The roughness of the album is due mainly to the inventive recording methods used. With layers of overdubs and no noise reduction, this method created what the sleeve notes describe as a 'musical mystical mist of sound'. This is a wonderful way to describe the slightly distorting guitars and vague hissing sounds. These are well preserved on the re-mastered CD as they are as essential to the album as the music.

The label progressive rock is usually given to this kind of music, but here you can hear why the music is called thus. These guys were breaking barriers not only in South Africa's rather narrow 1970's rock world but would have broken through numerous perceived limitations on the world stage, had the world bothered to listen. 'Galactic Vibes' is an album that South Africans can be proud of, even now 30 years on. It is a great musical achievement that can be hauled out again and again and simply marvelled at. As for me, I'm off to find out what the hell a steak parlour is.
Tracks
01. Sea Horse
02. The Homecoming
03. That Did It
04. Fields And Me
05. The Crazy World Of Pod: electronic concerto
06. 1999
07. About The Dove And His King
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Kaleidoscope (US) - A Beacon From Mars (1968)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 1:59 AM 0 comments

Wielding a battery of exotic instruments that once adorned a thrift-shop front window (bazouki, oud, vina, saz, doumbeg), the Kaleidoscope was every bit as multi-hued and subject-to-change as the telescope full of bright bits of colored glass the band was named after. If there had been a prize for the most eclectic psychedelic outfit, L.A.'s Kaleidoscope would have had it stashed on a shelf--between the hookah pipes and the bowling trophies--in the band's rehearsal space. Formed by multi-instrumentalists David Lindley and Chris Darrow, with a membership that also included multi-instrumentalist Solomon Feldthouse and multi-instrumentalists Max Buda, Chester Crill and Fenrus Epp (all the same person!) along with drummer John Vidican, this wildly experimental outfit pioneered what would become the world-music genre by darting deftly between rock, folk, blues, Cajun, country, Middle Eastern, good-time ballads and Eastern European styles, with plenty of full-blown psychedelia on the side. It's an exotically diverse approach, explored to great effect on 1968's A Beacon from Mars, Kaleidoscope's second LP (the working title for the album was Bacon from Mars). Just float your head through the buoyant, sprawling, mystical title track; the driving, raga-esque "Taxim"; or the graceful opener, "I Found Out," which unfolds like the tender petals of a young rose. Beacon from Mars is an album no fan of '60s West Coast psych can afford to miss!
Tracks
1. I Found Out
2. Greenwood Sidee
3. Life Will Pass You By
4. Taxim - Kaleidoscope
5. The Bald-Headed End of a Broom
6. Louisiana Man
7. You Don't Love Me
8. Beacon from Mars
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Songwriter and band leader Ray Davies crafted the concept album as a gentle homage to English hamlet life and, by extension, to the innocence and idealization of past times and people. While a love letter to an idealized England already gone, the album also has a pervading ironic sting, starting with the title track. There is a sense Davies yearns for this world but knows both it is not real and if it were he could never fully be part of it. The songs were assembled from material recorded over a two year period prior to the album's release, as Davies moved away from producing commercial hit singles and into a more personal, nostalgic style of songwriting. Many of the songs recorded prior to the early summer of 1968 may have originally been intended for a Ray Davies solo album and/or stage show related to the loose "village green" theme, because Davies was unsure whether they fit the Kinks' musical image and style. But as the concept progressed, and as the Kinks' commercial fortunes declined in 1968, the album was completed as a full-fledged Kinks project. Fearing the band would soon dissolve and that this would be their final project, Davies poured his heart into the album, tinkering with it until the last possible minute. He even halted the production of an early release version to revamp the song selection.

The album theme was inspired by a track recorded by the band in November 1966, "Village Green", which was inspired by the Kinks' performances near rustic Devon, England in late 1966 (Davies has also stated that Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood was an indirect inspiration for the concept). This song neatly sums up the album's broad theme: "I miss the village green, and all the simple people..." In addition to nostalgia, the album's songs touch on a wide range of emotions and experiences, from lost friends ("Do You Remember Walter"), memories ("People Take Pictures of Each Other", "Picture Book"), bucolic escape ("Animal Farm"), social marginalization ("Johnny Thunder", "Wicked Annabella"), public embarrassment ("All of My Friends Were There"), childlike fantasy ("Phenomenal Cat"), straying from home ("Starstruck") and stoical acceptance of life ("Big Sky", "Sitting By the Riverside"). Davies did not compose many of the songs to fit the predetermined theme of the album, rather their commonality developed naturally from his nostalgic songwriting interests at the time. The title track, one of the last written and recorded (in August 1968), effectively unifies the songs through an appeal to preserve a litany of sentimental objects, experiences, and fictional characters from progress and modern indifference: "God save little shops, china cups, and virginity". This last lyric inspired the slogan, "God save the Kinks" which was used in the US promotion for the album, and was associated with the band through the 1970s.
Session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins contributed significantly to the album. With the exception of true orchestral backing on the early "Village Green" track, the string and woodwind backings on such tracks as "Animal Farm", "Days", "Starstruck" and "Phenomenal Cat" were simulated by the Mellotron, played by both Hopkins and Ray Davies.
Tracks
1 Village Green Preservation Society [Stereo] Davies 2:49
2 Do You Remember Walter? [Stereo] Davies 2:26
3 Picture Book [Stereo] Davies 2:37
4 Johnny Thunder [Stereo] Davies 2:31
5 Last of the Steam-Powered Trains [Stereo] Davies 4:11
6 Big Sky [Stereo] Davies 2:50
7 Sitting by the Riverside [Stereo] Davies 2:25
8 Animal Farm [Stereo] Davies 3:00
9 Village Green [Stereo] Davies 2:09
10 Starstruck [Stereo] Davies 2:21
11 Phenomenal Cat [Stereo] Davies 2:38
12 All of My Friends Were There [Stereo] Davies 2:25
13 Wicked Annabella [Stereo] Davies 2:42
14 Monica [Stereo] Davies 2:16
15 People Take Pictures of Each Other [Stereo] Davies 2:14
16 Mr. Songbird [Stereo][*] Davies 2:24
17 Days [Stereo][*] Davies 2:52
18 Do You Remember Walter [Alternate Stereo Mix][*] Davies 2:24
19 People Take Pictures of Each Other [Alternate Stereo Mix][*]
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Kaleidoscope (US) - Side Trips (1967)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 4:23 AM 0 comments

Like a mind-boggling combination of Summer of Love acid-rock, goodtime saloon music and a Middle Eastern jam session, Side Trips, the debut album by Kaleidoscope, stood out, even in the eye of the psychedelic hurricane, as something altogether different! Staffed by a hall of fame roster of multi-instrumentalists--David Lindley, Chris Darrow, Solomon Feldthouse, Chester Crill (aka: Fenrus Epp) and John Vidican--this San Gabriel Valley, Calif.-based combo cut their dazzling 1967 album with a startling arsenal of instruments that included banjo, fiddle, doumbeg, mandolin, viola, saz, bouzoukee, dobro, vina, authoharp, oud and clarinet. When they entertained the wide-eyed customers of San Francisco's Fillmore and Avalon Ballrooms and Los Angeles' Ash Grove, they frequently employed flamenco and belly dancers onstage. Just like the see-through tube with bits of colored glass and mirrors that gave the band their name, the Kaleidoscope was never the same, no matter which way you turned it!
Tracks
1. Egyptian Gardens
2. If the Night
3. Hesitation Blues
4. Please
5. Keep Your Mind Open
6. Pulsating Dream
7. Oh Death
8. Come on In
9. Why Try
10. Minnie the Moocher
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Mum - Finally we are one (2002)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 3:33 AM 0 comments

It's an enchanted world that Múm inhabit. Conceived in a remote Icelandic lighthouse, Finally We Are No One is an electronica album that conjures up hazy, half-remembered memories of childhood, both magical and eerie. The obvious comparisons are with Boards of Canada and Múm's compatriot, Björk. But as with their superb 2000 debut, Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK, Múm make a music that's far too original to be easily compartmentalized. So analog keyboards hum alongside muted digital glitches, and "proper" instruments--accordions, cellos, melodicas--flutter in and out of the mix. The overall effect is of a modern kind of folk music. It's gentle, almost-fey stuff, but the quartet (including twin sisters who appeared on the cover of Belle & Sebastian's Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant) never slips into anything like polite ambience. Instead, the 11 pieces are like extracts from a particularly vivid dream journal, especially when the Valtýsdóttir sisters sing in their peculiar gurgling, infantilized way in the epically unfurling lullaby, "The Land Between Solar Systems." This is an album that leaves you longing for shady childhood experiences you never knew you'd even had.
Tracks
1. Sleep/Swim
2. Green Grass Of Tunnel
3. We Have a Map of the Piano
4. Don't Be Afraid, You Have Just Got Your Eyes Closed
5. Behind Two Hills.A Swimmingpool
6. K/Half Noise
7. Now There's That Fear Again
8. Farawat Swimmingpool
9. I Can't Feel My Hand Anymore, It's Alright, Sleep Tight
10. Finally We Are No One
11. The Land Between Solar Systems
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INXS - Welcome to wherever you are (1992)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 7:12 AM 0 comments

Often when a second follow-up is made to a hit album, that second follow-up will often fail from a commercial standpoint. While the first follow-up album to a hit album will usually do well commercially, if it disappoints the fans who liked the original, those fans won't buy the second follow-up. I think this is a fair assumption to apply to Inxs. Inxs' 1988 "Kick" album was a huge commercial (as well as critical) success. Their follow-up to Kick was 1990's "X". This was still a very good album, but probably wasn't as strong as "Kick". As a result, this might have affected the record sales of their second follow-up, 1992's "Welcome to Wherever You Are". However this might be a case where people should have given the second follow-up a chance. This is because "Welcome to Wherever You Are" is one very good album. Inxs explores some new avenues and the result is one heck of a good collection.

One fact that I find amazing about Inxs is that this six member band stuck together from their formation in the late 1970s through Michael Hutchence's untimely death in 1997. During this period, the band would release 10 studio albums, 1 Greatest Hits album, and 1 Live album. This has allowed the band to meld together and grow professionally. Much of this is due to the fact that three band members are brothers: Andrew Farriss (Keyboards), Jon Farriss (Drums), and Tim Farriss (Guitar). The other three members also stuck tightly with the band the whole way. These members include: Hutchence (Lead Vocals), Garry Gary Beers (Bass), and Kirk Pengilly (Guitar and Sax). Hutchence - known for his long hair and theatrical performances in concert often gets the most publicity. But the remaining five members all make major contributions from a musicianship standpoint. In addition, Hutchence is not just eye candy - he has also played a key role in the songwriting.

As Inxs moved toward superstardom, there were production and songwriting contributed to this rise. Producer Chris Thomas was brought in on the "Listen Like Thieves" album and this would continue through the "X" album. During this time, the songwriting duties would also primarily become a partnership between Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence. This duo would prove to be a dynamic songwriting combination as good as any combination in music history. "Welcome to Wherever You Are" changes things from both a production and songwriting standpoint. For producing duties, Inxs brings back Mark Opitz. Opitz had produced Inxs' big breakthrough album, "Shabooh Shoobah". From a songwriting standpoint, only 7 of the original 12 tracks are written by the Farriss/Hutchence combination. The remaining songs are either solo compositions by Andrew Farriss (3 tracks), Michael Hutchence (1 Track), as well as one combination by Hutchence and Jon Farriss. I found both of these changes to be positive. Opitz has proven to be a successful producer before and once again he proves he can do the job again. I also found the mixing up of the songwriting duties a great way to keep Inxs' music fresh and vibrant.

I think Inxs' musical style can be considered an offshoot of the Punk and New-Wave movements of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The two distinguishing factors that give Inxs a style of their own are : 1) The infusion of Kirk Pengilly's saxophone into this punk/new-wave influenced sound; and 2) Michael Hutchence's powerful vocals really elevate the sound of the band. "Welcome to Wherever You Are" adds some additional distinguishing factors. For starters, Inxs incorporates the use of an orchestra in two of the tracks ("Baby Don't Cry" and "Men and Women" - an interesting point "Baby Don't Cry" was a Farriss solo-written song while "Men and Women" was a Hutchence solo-written song). Inxs' sound fits very well into the orchestral-style of music and I would have really liked to have seen more songs done like this. Another distinguishing factor is that Inxs shows some innovations in their sound. The most compelling example is the opening track, "Questions". For this song (which was an Andrew Farriss solo composition), we are given a Middle-Eastern flavor to the music. Another example is on "Strange Desire", we hear a near Pet Shop Boys sound on the introduction (as well as some terrific bass by Garry Gary Beers). They also demonstrate a harder-rock edge at times in songs such as "Heaven Sent", "Communication", and "All Around". They also demonstrate an R&B sound in songs such as "Not Enough Time". "Beautiful Girl" continues to demonstrate that Michael Hutchence not only has a powerful voice, but one that is an emotional sounding one. Finally, "Men and Women" shows Inxs deliver a haunting ballad - something that hasn't been found in their music before.

Perhaps the most interesting concept is incorporated by Mark Opitz himself. Opitz assembles the 12 original tracks of "Welcome to Wherever You Are" in 45+ minutes of continuous music. For Inxs' sound, this seems to work perfect. Some of the segues from song to song aren't going to be as strong as others, but for the most part this concept works very well.
The liner notes include a write-up by Mark Opitz who reflects on this collection. The liner notes also includes all of the songwriting and musician credits. This is a shame that this particular album didn't get the attention it so richly deserves. This is one of Inxs' best collections. It is one that I'd recommend for both long-time and new Inxs fans. by L.A. Scene
Tracks
1. Questions
2. Heaven Sent
3. Communication
4. Taste It
5. Not Enough Time
6. All Around
7. Baby Don't Cry
8. Beautiful Girl
9. Wishing Well
10. Back on Love
11. Strange Desire
12. Men and Women
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Stone psychedelic freaks Robin Williamson and Mike Heron were two talented multi-instrumentalists who were eventually joined in the Incredible String Band by their earth-goddess lovers, Licorice and Rose. They tapped into the British Isles' centuries-old traditions of myths and folklore, updating the ancient sounds with inspired, multi-layered recordings and a modern twist that helped you envision fair maidens riding unicorns through green and fertile fields while simultaneously advocating better living through chemistry. Hell, the title alone of this, their second album, is more psychedelic than anything the Jefferson Airplane ever did
Tracks
1. Chinese White
2. No Sleep Blues
3. Painting Box
4. The Mad Hatter's Song
5. Little Cloud
6. The Eyes of Fate
7. Blues for the Muse
8. The Hedgehog's Song
9. First Girl I Loved
10. You Know What You Could Be
11. "My Name Is Death
12. Gently Tender
13. Way Back in the 1960s
Download.

Ladies WC - Ladies WC (1969)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 1:03 AM 0 comments

This late-’60s Venezuelan band is another fine discovery from Shadoks, who seem to be unearthing an endless stream of worthy, neglected psychedelic albums. The liner notes leave many questions unanswered, but the story appears to begin with Venezuelan-born American Steve Scott. A bassist and singer, he found two Venezuelan brothers, Mario and Jaime Seijas, and they then completed a foursome with Adib Casta. Inspired by the times, they recorded one album and became quite popular, playing regularly to large crowds. There’s no information, though, about where the strange name came from, or what happened to the group.

In any case, drummer Mario Seijas and Scott lay down a strong, solid rhythm section, with the bass more prominent than usual on records of this time. Jaime Seijas’ rhythm guitar generally lies low and lets lead guitarist Casta wah and wail his way around the songs. That turns out to be a good idea, because Casta can really shine, whether playing clear melodic lines, warbly wah-wah, or intense fuzz leads.

The 10 songs here represent, for the most part, prime acid rock. Recorded in 1969, it feels like it, with wah and fuzz represented in spades. Scott’s vocals are strong and clear, with that high-end wail you can hear in so many Nuggets-era bands. Showing some of their blues heritage, they pull out the harmonica for emphasis on a number of songs, with "Put That In Your Pipe and Smoke It" a particularly good example of Scott’s skill there.

The 34 minutes range from "I Can’t See Straight" and its harmonica and guitar lead to the vocal harmonies of "And Everywhere I See The Shadow of That Life," with a break featuring some truly blazing psych lead guitar. In general, actually, this album belongs to Casta’s lead guitar displays. From brittle, high-end twangs to watery wah and, best of all, totally space-bound fiery fuzz, he makes me wish the band had recorded more albums.

A few of the songs veer from the blues-centered rock. "To Walk On Water" is really a pop song, slow and more orchestrated than most of the others here. The vocals are more in a crooner style than the usual rock feel, but it still works. "The Time Of Hope Is Gone" feels somewhat more calculated, very much of its time. With organ and ending with a portentous spoken-word section, it’s a reasonable attempt at overtly mystical psychedelia.

The studio work throughout the album contains a number of nice touches, as they toss in sound effects to liven things up. From the opening toilet flush to a baby crying, they were clearly having fun with it.
Tracks
1 - People
2 - I Can't See Straight
3 - To Walk On Water
4 - Heaven's Coming Up
5 - And Everywhere I See The Shadow Of That Life
6 - Searching For A Meeting Place
7 - Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It
8 - The Time Of Hope Is Gone
9 - W.C. Blues
10 - I'm Gonna Be
Download.

Brainticket - Psychonaut (1972)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 12:59 AM 0 comments

The original BRAINTICKET had already collapsed after the recording of "Cottonwoodhill". Some of the members went to join future member of the Swiss prog band ISLAND (who released the album "Pictures" in 1977) Benjamin Jäger, and named the group TOAD. That group sounds little like BRAINTICKET, or like a precursor of the "Island" sound, but more like conventional hard rock. Meanwhile organist/flutist Joël Vandroogenbrock simply resurrected BRAINTICKET with brand new musicians (amongst them being Carol Muriel, Barney Palm, Jane Free and others).
The result being "Psychonaut" was an obvious reaction to their previous album, as this album was the complete opposite, going for actual songs here and avoiding any disturbing experiments. "Radagacuca" is that prime example, which starts off with some trippy organ, some echoey flutes, and of course, silly lyrics. "One Morning" is a wonderful, piano oriented piece with pleasant vocals. "Watchin' You" is one of the more heavy, rocking pieces, and is by far the most rocking piece I ever heard BRAINTICKET do. "Like a Place in the Sun" features some spoken dialog, with parts reminding me of EARTH & FIRE (that's where people mistakenly think BRAINTICKET was a Dutch band, although Brainticket purposely obscure their nationality, as the band often consisted of international musicians). "Feel the Wind Blow" is a much more laid-back, acoustic piece, with George HARRISON like guitars. "Coc'o Mary" is a heavily percussion-dominated piece that sounds like a cross between SANTANA (because of the Latin-style percussion) and JETHRO TULL (because of the Anderson-like flute). Incredible album, which shows everything that was great in the early '70s
By Proghead.
Tracks
1. Radagacuca (7:24)
2. One Morning (3:51)
3. Watchin' You (5:15)
4. Like A Place In The Sun (6:28)
5. Feel The Wind Blow (3:32)
6. Coc'O Mary (6:08)
Download.

Country Joe and Fish - Feels like I'm fixing to die (1967)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 12:50 AM 0 comments

In general, this release doesn't approach the power and mystical satisfaction of their first album, ['Electric Music for the Mind & Body'], but still, it has its relatively stunning moments. I've always heard this basically pleasant release more as background music, but decided to finally give it the careful listen it probably deserves.
"The Fish Cheer"/"I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" is a satirical anti-[Vietnam]war jug band piece, which is very well designed and very well played/sung [unrated].

"Who Am I?" [5 stars] has an introductory [and recurring] chorus which is lilting and tender, and a series of somewhat abstract but also very emotional meditations on the [authors'] failure to receive what life/death gives and takes away. One needs to listen to this one rather closely, as it refuses to jump out and grab one by the scruff of the neck.

"Pat's Song": Joe's 1st love song on the album. Beautiful lyrics, and great organ solo by Cohen & lead guitar solo by Melton [a little long, though]; next, a bell solo morphs into a short tarantella, after which the second verse starts, and the song repeats all the way through, except for leaving out the bell and tarantella sections. [4½ stars]

"Rock Coast Blues" [5 stars] a bouncy but mournful blues tune delivered with Joe's patented tongue-in-cheek humor. A couple of years later, the band Mother Earth founded their entire sound based on the style of this piece, [or whatever regional source Joe got it from]. CJ might have been better at it than were Mother Earth, though I'm not sure.

"Magoo" starts out almost exactly like "Bass Strings" from the previous album, but has a more meandering melody. This one is very beautiful. At times the thunderstorm (sound effect) almost overpowers the music, depending on which speakers/headphones you are using. Includes a minute-long postlude, which begins as a beautiful acoustic guitar solo and finishes improbably with a short bluesy/jazzy riff [5 stars].

"Janis" [3 stars] is Joe's pleasant love song to/about Janis Joplin. No comparison whatsoever can be made with his love song for another San Francisco diva [Grace Slick] on the first album (emotionally, this one is warm and cuddly).

"Thought Dream" this song has four false starts while Joe is chortling in the background sounding like a Bible Belt preacher [with a gospel choir intoning underneath], before temporarily morphing into the short, bluesy "Bomb Song" and finally swinging into the song proper. It's difficult to characterize this one in terms of style, but the lyrics continue in a similar vein to what was started by "Who Am I?", at a slower tempo, and provide the beginnings of emotional resolution to questions raised by the earlier song. Fades with a quick recapitulation of the "Bomb Song". [4½ stars]

["Thursday" is 'prefaced' by the infamous "Acid Commercial", performed in a similar style as "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag", and at least as funny, and buzzy.]

"Thursday" [3½-4 stars]: what's this? Maybe jazz-folk-rock? The very few lyrics serve to introduce the 'topic' of this medium-tempo jam tune (2 acoustic guitars + electric bass). There's a somewhat tepid organ solo, then a longer, inspired [cleanly picked] electric guitar solo. After the second vocal chorus, there is a brief solo on the cymbals, then . . .

we immediately segue to the next song ["Eastern Jam"] [2½ stars]: the drum kit starts playing as the acoustic guitar [the main coloration up to this point] drops out. This is in identical tempo and key to that of "Thursday", and initially it is identical in feel, but now all electric, with drums. Various duets and trio arrangements emerge one after another as the players continue to jam together, beginning in relatively mellow acid rock style, gradually becoming strident towards the climax.

"Colors for Susan" [4 stars]. This is a long, very slow acoustic two-guitar duet (mostly just strummed chords), seasoned with mallet rolls/hits on the cymbals, occasional electric bass riffs, and bells. All in all, very soothing to listen to.
By Phil Rogers.
Tracks
1. I Feel Like I'm Fixin To Die Rag
2. Who Am I
3. Pats Song
4. Rock Coast Blues
5. Magoo
6. Janis
7. Thought Dream
8. Thursday
9. Eastern Jam
10. Colors For Susan
Download.

Takako Minekawa - Roomic Cube (1997)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 12:46 AM 0 comments

there was a point in time where so many japanese artists were making a heavy splash on the international electronic/indy scene. names like Pizzicato Five, Buffalo Daughter, Cornelius, Cibo Matto were all the rage. their blend of french pop, asian chic, and that "space age bachelor pad" motif were probably a big relief to those who needed a breather from the grunge-soaked musical landscape. and despite their disposable kitsch factor associated with most of these groups, they seemed to stick around long enough for most people to take them seriously. Takako Minekawa may not be quite as well known as those other groups i mentioned, but her music is a treat for those who can appreciate simple, charming music; made with a childlike sense of amusement and a wonderful appreciation for sound.

armed with an aray of keyboards and plenty of bells and whistles, Takako's songwriting skills are showcased on all the fun, dainty tracks on Roomic Cube. Buffalo Daughter are also on here, helping out with nice results. "Klaxon!" is a great great song with an irresistable pop hook that stands out from the moody album opener. "Fantastic Cat" also beams with a goofy, bouncy melody and simple , but effective lyrics. their are plenty of questionable songs here also...the fifth track "Wooooog" is just throwaway romp in sleazy funk that goes nowhere fast...and "Desert Song" finds Takako settling on a bunch of "la la la's" over a dreary non-descript background. thankfully, "Destron" lays down some spooky groundwork with a haunting melody line and a stark distorted drum.
Tracks
1. Sleep Song
2. Fantastic Cat
3. Never/More
4. Klaxon!
5. Wooooog
6. Dessert Song
7. Destron
8. Pop Up Squirrels
9. 1.666666
10. Rainy Song
11. T.T.T.
12. Black... White
13. More Pop Up Squirrels
Download.

Ultimate Spinach - Ultimate Spinach III (1969)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 2:19 AM 0 comments

The third Ultimate Spinach Album-III was the end of the group and could actually have been called, Chamaeleon Church II. With the exception of vocalist Barbara Hudson and drummer Russ Levine who both performed on "Behold & See," this Spinach group was composed of all new vocalists and musicians and featured the great guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter who went on to Steeley Dan and Doobie Brothers fame. The music is an eclectic mix of folk, rock, blues and political commentary. It was part of a musical evolution which started with the legendary Boston group, The Lost, continued through Chamaeleon Church, and finally ended with Ultimate Spinach III.
Tracks
1. (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet 2:34
2. Some-days You Just Can't Win 3:23
3. Daisy 2:21
4. Sincere3:32
5. Eddie's Rush6:52
6. Strange-Life Tragicomedy 4:13
7. Reasons 3:52
8. Happiness Child 4:42
9. Back Door Blues 2:56
10. The World Has Just Begun 3:20
Download

Various Artists - Waking Up Scheherazade (60's)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 2:14 AM 0 comments

One of the reasons why we hear so little of beat/rock examples from Middle Eastern and Arab countries is not that there exists no examples, because especially in the 60s and seventies more or less the whole world was open to modern experiments, but that many of such scenes quickly closed down in many countries and were replaced by fascist or other extremely limiting-the-freedom-of-creative-expressions Regimes. This happened already once in Europe, in Germany, Italy, Spain and Greece, with very restricting regimes trying to root out to impure influences mostly for intellectual and economic control, before the fifties after the first wave of freedom (twenties and thirties), but it happened also in many places near the end of the seventies, in almost every Latin American country, and in the Middle East where this time America was involved for economic and power control reasons, with a Russian communist influence on the other hand in the far East and some other Middle Eastern countries for the same reasons. The Arab countries distinguished at first from what was associated with the western kind freedom, so traces of rock music were destroyed or kept secret or remained vulnerable, kept away from associations with or interest from the west. Now in a time where extreme opinions are finally getting criticised for the first time, and materialism of Western Society is embraced, it is the right time to show the world again the great possibilities of creative cooperations with standards that not necessary should be related to western standards, but that are creative expressions that is too great not to share with the whole world, or those pockets of intelligent beings in any culture who see culture as a global process.

Of course there are 2 tracks listed from The Cea-ders (later Ceaders). I still remember how M.J.Coumans from Grey Past Records traced one of the members, hoping for a reissue of their complete works. He found out how more unreleased tracks still existed on reel to reel tape. However, the unrealistic amount of money demanded for a use of the recordings for a reissue (probably learned from Madonna related figures of money making) made such a release impossible. They also never made much money with their songs despite some hits in Lebanon, interest from the UK, and a huge hit from a cover by Mavi Isiklar in Turkey. When they were invited to the UK and didn’t make the amount of money the company expected, they charged them all the bills (so they left all their instruments and fled to Lebanon). Somehow I can try to understand how it still didn't fit in with the general public of beat and psychpop lovers ; maybe the fast rhythm section, for some Western ears, demanded a different kind of listening or comprehension. Some might find this too complex and even a bit nervous when this wild & clear energy is heard. On “Thanks a lot” we hear what marvellous distinguished sounds they had, with their Byrds/Beatle-esque style with a super-fast complexity of rhythms and some use of oud. The second track, “Undecidedly” also shows an inspiration with Middle Eastern rhythms to a beat/psych styled song, and great guitars.

Many more Lebanese groups are listed. Lebanon is one of those few Middle Eastern countries who kept as far as I know a certain openness, although the tensions in surrounding countries can be felt here too, so that there still remains a restricted protectiveness of what there is. All the listed groups from the late 60s sung in English. These are, in the order of appearance, Simon C.Edwards & His Soul Set, who have one track listed: garagy rock with raw & tough soul vocals, with an additional sax and trumpet arrangement to it, and a second, more rocking track, with fine organ solos. Secondly we have The Kool Kats, with a more typical but still cool mid 60s mod record, The News, with a great and groovy psychpop tune with lots of funky psych electronic and organ effects, and electronically deformed vocals, Tony Franks & The Hippin’ Souls, a fine 60s mod single with ballad-like vocals, rather upbeat rhythms, wordless oo-aa vocal harmonies, and last but not least, Ray Psyah a great early 70s styled psych/rock with organ, great fuzz guitars, and some jazzy flute improvisation.

From Persia/Iran we have a tune from Kourosh (Yaghmaie), one of my favourite artists from Iran, with a different version from the track also to be found on his highly recommended CD compilation of early works (which I reviewed on next page), a laid back psych tune indeed with beautiful fuzz solos with organ. Second group is Raks, reminding me a bit of Touareg guitar music, with more African kind of handclap rhythms and group singing and electric guitar but also with psych organ to it.

It must be said that Iranian singles are almost impossible to find because every trace of the period where Western influences were embraced and opened up with likewise trans-cultural communicative visions were completely destroyed by the so called new “social” revolution.

From the Arab part of Northern African we have two tracks from El-Abranis from Algeria (a country which knew mostly ethno-folk and folk-rock artists that could experiment and record in France). This is true Arab rock (=psych) with electric instruments, drums and organ, using a Middle Eastern feel in the small details of the rhythms. Also the second song is similar, both with Arab vocals. This is followed by the Egyptian Nai Bonnet, a single published in the US ; style : electric garage psych belly dance.

Also the US, in the 60s and 70s, some local groups afforded freely to embrace on their turn their Arab influences and cooperations (until the Munich Olympics 1972). Most known is Khareem Issaq & Middle Eastern Rock, with their Devil's Anvil’s LP (reviewed on next page), of which this label found an off-LP single. It has a different, and much more fuzzed version of one of the best LP tracks, Arab ethno-rock/psych. Arab members came from Armenia and other Arab countries. Another Armenian/American mix can be heard on the single track “Morocco” which says is arranged and conducted by John R. Argypoulos (Greek or Armenian?) and produced by Russ Miller. It is a fantastic short wild psychedelic track with North African belly-dance rhythms, crazy lilililil vocals in the breaks. Also the second side is great psych with electric bouzouki??, belly dance rhythms.

I hope that this is the tip of the iceberg and that some countries finally will show their treasures like Ali Baba and his cave. I truly hope time is right for this ambitious task that could open up doors to different societies in a creative way once more.
Tracks
1 Sea-ders - Thanks a Lot 2:50
2 El Abranis - Athedjaladde 3:53
3 Simon C. Edwards and His Soul Set - I Got You 2:50
4 Morocco - Ela Tho 2:31
5 Kourosh Yaghmaei - Dil Dasa Per Mesha 2:53
6 The Kool Kats - Step Out 2:06
7 Nai Bonet - The Seventh Veil 1:46
8 Tony Franks and the Hippin' Souls - Last Night 3:45
9 The News - From the Moon 2:35
10 Raks - Raks Dance 2:31
11 Kareem Issaq & Middle Eastern Rock - Besaha 1:48
12 Ray Psyah - Deep Down Inside 2:45
13 Sea-ders - Undecidedly 2:12
14 El Abranis - Ayetheri a L'afjare 2:31
15 Simon C. Edwards and His Soul Set - The Way I Do 2:28
16 Morocco - Opa Kukla 2:37
Download.

Parliament - Osmium (1970)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 2:04 AM 0 comments

While most Educated P-Funk fans will tell you that "Up For the Down Stroke" is Parliament's First album without batting an eyelash, this record begs to differ. Released in 1970, George Clinton and the Parlia-Funkadelic crew team up with songwriter Ruth Copeland and Invictus Records to release the fantastic debut "Osmium". Not only is this a great album, but it bests "Up For the Down Stroke" and maybe even "Chocolate City." The album is creative mix of folk, funk, motown and doo-wop that flows together effortlessly.

"I Call My Baby Pussycat" an early concert favorite, starts off the album. This track features great vocals by the group, most notably Ray Davis. One of the best numbers on the album. It would later the redone on "America Eats It's Young" but this version, with its raw playing and soulful singing, is superior. The intro was later pieced into the song "Hardcore Jollies" off the album by the same name. "Put Love In Your Life" is another great number that changes form many times, almost inheriting a progressive rock feel to it. Again featuring great vocals by Ray Davis and Fuzzy Haskins.

Next is my personal favorite on the album: "Little Old Country Boy." This is a hilarious song about a young man who is sent to jail for spying on his cheating girlfriend. The song has a great groove that is brightened by Fuzzy's over the top vocalizing. Invictus records loved this song so much that it put it as the b-side for all of Parliament's single releases during the time. "Moonshine Heather" is an okey jam song. Not one of the more notable on the album, but nevertheless good. "Oh Lord Why Lord/Prayer" is a heartfelt tribute to god. This song is amazingly beautiful but very unlike Parliaments style. "My Automobile" is a great doo- wopish number that celebrates the casual fun of George Clinton while still making you groove. "Nothing Before Me But Thang", "Funky Woman" and "Living the Life" are your basic rockish tracks. While they are good, they aren't as notable as other songs on this album. "The Silent Boatman," while very out of place, is beautiful on its own right.

The real treat of this album are the bonus tracks. "Red Hot Mama" is an interesting example of this song before it transformed into the version we know on "Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On." Both versions of "Breakdown" are groovetastic and it is very obvious why these songs were successful singles. "Come In Out Of The Rain" is probably one of Parliament's most criminally underrated songs. The song is political cry for change in a troubled era. It contains some of the most soulful moments of George Clinton's career. "Fantasy Is Reality" is another great soulful song that has a very interesting keyboard line. "Unfinished Instrumental" is good and so is "Loose Booty" which later ended up on "America Eats It's Young."

If you would like to buy an early Parliament album but are unsure of which one to get, buy this album. While "Up For the Down Stroke" is a great record. This album has ten times more soul and musical spirit and expresses the great fun and carefree mentality that Parlia-Funkadelic still had in their early days. As a fellow funkateer I promise you will not be disappointed with this album.By C. Knowles
Tracks
1. I Call My Baby Pussycat
2. Put Love in Your Life
3. Little Old Country Boy
4. Moonshine Heather
5. Oh Lord, Why Lord/Prayer
6. My Automobile
7. There Is Nothing Before Me But Thang
8. Funky Woman
9. Livin' the Life
10. The Silent Boatman
Download part 1
Download part 2

Elizabeth - Elizabeth (1968)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 1:54 AM 0 comments

Elizabeth was made up of Steve Weingart (lead guitar, harp, organ, vocals), Bob Patterson (guitar, vocals), Jim Dahme (guitar, flute, vocals), Steve Bruno (organ, bass), and Hank Ransome (drums). The band originally came from Philadelphia but moved to New York in 1968, where they recorded and released their self-titled album on Vanguard Records in 1969. The album was released with a wonderful psychedelic-styled collage sleeve that gave the record buyer an impression that the band was a baroque-styled act, yet in actuality it is fairly standard late-'60s rock. The highlights of the album are the fuzz guitar-laden track "You Should Be More Careful," the haunting soft psych of the song "Alarm Rings Five," and the final and best track on the album, "When All Else Fails." The album is rounded out by a few less than interesting good-time-styled rock tracks and has a slight jazz feel in places.
Tracks
1. Not That Kind Of Guy
2. Mary Anne
3. Dissimilitude
4. Similitude
5. You Should Be More Careful
6. The World's For Free
7. Fields Of Home
8. Alarm Rings Five
9. Lady L
10. When All Else Fails
Download.

Kahimi Karie - Kahimi Karie (1998)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 1:41 AM 0 comments

Kahimi Karie (カヒミ・カリィ Kahimi Karī), born Mari Hiki (比企マリ Hiki Mari, born March 15, 1968) is a Japanese Shibuya-kei musician.

Kahimi sings in English, French, and Japanese (among other languages) with whisper-like vocals. A number of her early songs were written for her by Momus. She also has a strong connection to Cornelius, who collaborated on many early works, and whose trendy Trattoria label released many of her EPs in the mid-'90s. Karie currently lives in Tokyo, Japan, though she spent much of her career in Paris.

Kahimi was born the daughter of a major hospital doctor in Utsunomiya. She was raised by her strict father, and says she was not allowed to do things kids usually do, like watching TV, dating, etc. She was influenced by Serge Gainsbourg in her teens. After graduating high school, she moved to Tokyo and entered a vocational college to study photography. After graduating, she made a short career as a freelance photographer. In 1990, her friend established a record label and Kahimi was asked to participate. She made her debut as a vocalist, alongside Takako Minekawa as the female duo "Fancy Face Groovy Name". Later in 1994 she released her first solo album "Mike Alway's Diary", which was produced by Keigo Oyamada (aka Cornelius) . At this time she was referred to as "Shibuya-kei Princess", and her personal relationship with Oyamada was highly publicized. She later moved to Paris to pursue her career. She now lives in Tokyo, and recently toured Japan with Yoshihide Otomo and Jim O'Rourke, who has also written songs for her. Her dog, a black french bulldog, is called "Gomes".
Tracks
01. Good morning world
02. Candyman
03. Elastic Girl
04. Mike alway's diary
05. Le roi soleil
06. Take it easy my brother Charlie
07. Zoom up!
08. Serieux comme le plaisir
09. Lolitapop dollhouse
10. dis-moi quelque chose avant de dormir
11. The way you close your eyes
Download.

The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (2008)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 1:34 AM 0 comments

This Danish band - the duo of Sune Rose Wagner (on guitar, instruments and vocals) and Sharin Foo (on bass and vocals) - were much hyped on their arrival in 2002 when they released an album built entirely around the key of B- flat minor.
Freed from their major label deal with Sony and now released on UK indie label Fierce Panda, The Raveonettes, bring the distinctly different sounds of their previous two albums together on this their third CD which makes a strong case for lower recording budgets.
"Lust Lust Lust" combines their electro-fuzz sound, close harmony and a more mature set of songs.
Despite the album being (self) recorded without live drums or bass, the feel is not minimal.
Sharin Foo, the lead singer, has been called one of the hottest women in rock and she sustains the interest in what is effectively a set of demos pretty well.
Making music as dark, fuzzed-up and shimmering as the Velvet Underground, Jesus and Mary Chain, Lush and Suicide, this shoddy set of demos is nonetheless their most exciting collection, with tunes such as "Blush" and "You Want the Candy".
There are a few more notes explored here but The Raveonettes' song structure is still a simple one (layers of guitar noise plus pounding drums and sweet vocals).
It works a treat on the nice "Hallucinations" and the rather predictable "Blush", which are both wonderful 60s pop songs cut through with chiming, discordant, ear-piercing feedback, while "The Beat Dies" is pure Twin Peaks camp.
Though things pall a bit towards the end, there's enough bad-dream melodrama to keep it going until then.
The line "I fell in love in heaven to be with you in hell" typifies the album's doomed-lovers theme in the droning, hypnotic song "Lust", and the eastern-influenced "Aly Walk with Me" is as queasy as it's pretty.
With its themes of death, sex and desire, this is the perfect alt-rock soundtrack for fatalist bikers.
Standout Tracks : "Aly Walk With Me" and "You Want The Candy". By Starchaser
Tracks
1. Aly, Walk With Me
2. Hallucinations
3. Lust
4. Dead Sound
5. Black Satin
6. Blush
7. Expelled From Love
8. You Want The Candy
9. Blitzed
10. Sad Transmission
11. With My Eyes Closed
12. The Beat Dies
Download.

Red Crayola - The Parable of Arable Land (1967)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 5:08 AM 0 comments

The Parable of Arable Land (1967) is the first album by the Red Krayola, then known as the Red Crayola. The album is self-described as a “Free Form Freak-Out,” and remains one of the most infamous in their catalogue. A “Free Form Freak-Out” segues each of the actual songs, often resurfacing again elsewhere within the songs. The songs introduce mainstay Mayo Thompson’s signature style of abstract lyrics wed to minimalist (and often avant-garde) melodies and rhythms. The album is also notable for instrumental cameos by label mate and 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson.
While the songs themselves introduce Mayo Thompson’s signature style, it is the inclusion of the “Free Form Freak-Outs” for which the album is best known. They are seen by many critics as a foreshadowing (or a direct precursor) to the Industrial music which surfaced in the 1980’s. While at the time marketed as a “psychedelic” album, the album has more to do with (like Frank Zappa’s work of the time) modern 20th Century Composers and the avant-garde in general.

Thompson’s lyrics, while seemingly fitting in with the often surreal tone of typical 60’s psychedelic lyrics, actually demonstrate a more literary and artistic approach than what was common in rock music of the time. On the other hand, Allmusic critic Richie Unterberger points out that “Hurricane Fighter Plane” is “one of the closest American approximations of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd.” “War Sucks” is very in line with the protest songs of the time, and sports a minimal, tribal-like rhythm not too far removed from the early Velvet Underground.

The most untraditional and avant-garde of the six songs is the title track. An instrumental, it features nothing but a sparse and exotic-sounding percussion loop with minimal improvisation on top of it, building in intensity and then settling down over the course of about three minutes. This is not part of the “Free Form Freak-Outs,” as it seems to be somewhat orchestrated. The song carries the subtitle ”And the End Shall Be Signaled By The Breaking of a Twig”, and indeed, there is the sound of a twig (or some other piece of wood) breaking as the intensity reaches its climax. This track in particular foreshadows the blatantly minimalistic and uncommercial nature of their rejected second album, Coconut Hotel.

It should be noted that each of the songs bears a lengthy subtitle (listed in quotations instead of the typical parentheses) lifted directly from its own lyrics (except for “The Parable of Arable Land,” which is an instrumental).
Tracks
1. Hurricane Fighter Plane
2. Transparent Radiation
3. War Sucks
4. Pink Stainless Tail
5. Parable of Arable Land
Download.

Eyes of Blue - Crossroads of Time (1968)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 5:05 AM 0 comments

The Eyes debut album 'Crossroads Of Time' was eventually released late 1968 It included two Graham Bond R&B songs (Bond also wrote the sleevenotes) 'Love Is The Law' and 'Crossroads Of Time' which was especially written for the band. It also included an interesting version of Love's '7 + 7 Is' while The Beatles' 'Yesterday' is given a treatment suggesting something of a jazz hymn. Ritchie Francis claimed the remaining songs of which 'Inspiration For A New Day' is noteworthy and 'Prodigal Son', which features some psychedelic guitar work from Ray 'Taff' Williams. 'Largo' is an arrangement of the Handel piece by Ritchie Francis and he claimed this was indicative of the way the group were going.
Tracks
1.Crossroads of Time
2.Never Care
3.I'll Be Your Friend
4.7 + 7 Is
5.Prodigal Son
6.Largo
7.Love Is the Law
8.Yesterday
9.I Wonder Why
10.World of Emotion
11.Inspiration for a New Day
Download.

Mansun - Attack of the Grey Lantern (1997)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 5:00 AM 0 comments

Amazing that this magnificent debut album should be so underrated as to be undiscovered country for so many people. It's a classic for so many reasons - as has been said, there isn't a weak track on the album. Most people remember Wide Open Space as a 90s anthem, as well as the other singles Taxloss and She Makes My Nose Bleed, but all the songs share the same quality, wit and bizarre sense of humour. Mansun's achievement is in making an album so full of catchy tunes and singalong choruses which is at the same time so eccentric, dark, hypnotic and surreal. Paul Draper has a superb voice, one moment singing angelically like a choirboy and the next belting out the loud and electrifying anthems elsewhere. The album is bursting with ideas and innovation, it flows through your head like a dream and you're guaranteed to find yourself singing different bits of it to yourself when you least expect to!
Attack of the Grey Lantern loosely tells the story of 'Mavis' and her father, a vicar who combines his respectable day-job with a kinky alter-ego as a stripper and drag queen, and who dies presumably as a result of his activities. The story carries it's own fascination from one fantastic song to the next - Stripper Vicar is quite simply one of the greatest songs of the 90s and tells the tale with hilarious lyrics ("I think he got suspended in his stockings and suspenders, and he's making wine from water while he dresses like his daughter, and we know that he's a rip off cos we've seen him with his kit off!") while elsewhere we hear poignant and beautiful songs such as Dark Mavis with it's soaring string section and sombre description of the funeral arrangements. The anthemic outro is done with great passion and feeling, before rejoining the majestic Bond-style piece of orchestral classical music that opened the first song. As it finishes you sit in awe, contemplating the brilliance of the album and the strange story it told...until the excellent, poppy hidden track kicks in and Draper reveals that "the lyrics aren't supposed to mean that much, they're just a vehicle for a lovely voice!" Brilliant by A Customer
Tracks
1. The Chad Who Loved Me
2. Mansun's Only Love Song
3. Taxloss
4. You Who Do You Hate
5. Wide Open Space
6. Stripper Vicar
7. Disgusting
8. She Makes My Nose Bleed
9. Naked Twister
10. Egg Shaped Fred
11. Dark Mavis
12. An Open Letter To The Lyrical Trainspotter
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Shaa Khan - The World Will End On Friday (1977)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 7:29 AM 0 comments

This is a mysterious, enigmatic and highly achieved progressive rock album from Germany Underground. Due to the omnipresence of a lyrical sense of the melody, we can not consider Shaa Khan as a krautrock band, nevertheless this is an efficient evocative musical adventure throw higher “cosmic” spheres. Their style is an original intrication between the musically expressive / fantaisist dreamworld of Genesis, the spacey-rockin waves of Pink Floyd and Eloy connected to explosive, furiously trippy & heavy guitar leads. With obvious influences taken from progressive rock classics, this band successed to describe their own musical world, really original and powerfuly emotional, passionate with a large range of atmospheres and moods, describing different states of human sensibility, from pain, fear and anger to love and spiritual illumination. Beyond the “kosmische” rock, this album is a top class standard of progressive rock, reaching the pinnacle of this specific musical universe. White room opens this ravishing musical trip with a cosmic- like symphony for gorgeous instrumental sections, tragical & theatrical lyrics and majestic heavy-rockin’ melodies (closed to things written by the germans of Dschinn). The self title track is an other imaginative travel exploring human subconsciousness and the multi-facets of his personality thanks to a great dose of mysterious, fragile, moody, epic, atmospheric ambiences for synth / e-guitar duo and beautifully immersive lyrics. Graveyard is a subliminal evocative, tormented introspective proggy-piece that reminds me Jane or Novalis at their darkest moments. The melodies are deeply expressive, pefectly composed for intense organ chords, impressively emotional, crying vocals, heavy & floating guitar leads. Almost lost in time, this album remains an ulimate masterpiece and highly recommended for all prog-heads. By Philipe Blache
Tracks
1. White Room (8:22)
2. World Will End On Friday (4:47)
3. Graveyard (7:53)
4. Ocean (7:42)
5. Seasons (9:16)
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Françoise Hardy - Soleil (1970)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 7:22 AM 0 comments

Françoise Hardy signed her first contract with the record label Vogue in November 1961. In April 1962, shortly after finishing school, her first record Oh Oh Chéri appeared, written by Johnny Hallyday's writing duo. Her own flip side of the record, "Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles" became a success, riding the wave of Yé-yé music in France, with two million sales.

Hardy sang in French, English, Italian, Spanish, and German. In 1963 she came fifth for Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest with "L'amour s'en va". In 1968, she was awarded the Grand Prix Du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy.

In 1981, she married her long-time companion Jacques Dutronc, with whom she had had a son, Thomas Dutronc, in 1973. In 1994, she collaborated with the British pop group Blur for their "La Comedie" version of To The End. In May 2000, she made a comeback with the album Clair Obscur. Her son played guitar and her husband sang the duet "Puisque Vous Partez En Voyage." Iggy Pop and Étienne Daho also took part. Hardy lives near Paris and Dutronc lives in Monticello, Corsica, although they remain a couple
Track
1. Point
2. San Salvador
3. Fleur de Lune
4. Effeuille-Moi le Coeur
5. Un Petit Sourire, Un Petit Mot
6. Le Crabe
7. Mon Monde N'Est Pas Vrai
8. Tu Ressembles a Tous Ceux Qui Ont Eu du Chagrin
9. L'Ombre
10. Soleil
11. Je Fais des Puzzles
12. Dame Souris Trotte
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Godley & Creme Consequences (1977)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 7:12 AM 0 comments

This album, the solo debut of former 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, is generally considered to be one of the most notorious examples of '70s music-business excess. Consequences began its life as a single designed to show off the "gizmo," a musical device created by Godley & Creme that allowed an electric guitar to create symphonic-sounding textures when attached to its neck. Somewhere along the line, this single blew up into a triple-disc concept album about nature taking its revenge on mankind through hurricanes, floods, and the like. The first disc is almost entirely instrumental, using the "gizmo" to create all sorts of different textures as a hurricane dubbed "Honolulu Lulu" trashes Hawaii and heads for the United States. This stuff is a feat of clever engineering (there is a particularly funny part where an obnoxious rock band at an outdoor festival is swept away by a flood), but the musical content is lacking in hooks or melodies and thus fails to involve the listener. Consequences moves into its story line on the second disc, dividing its time between songs from Godley & Creme and spoken word comedy sketches written and performed by legendary British comedian Peter Cook that push the plot forward. The story focuses on a married couple working out the details of their divorce with their respective lawyers as the storms and earthquakes kick in. Their only hope is the downstairs neighbor, an eccentric composer named Blint who is working on a concerto that may be able to stop nature's revenge. The songs are mainly cutesy fluff: although they have clever arrangements and lush vocal harmonies, they lack the kind of memorable melodies that would bring the album's many concepts to life. The one song that stands apart from the dross is "Five O'Clock in the Morning," a clever and subtle portrait of suburban malaise that became a minor European hit. The comedy bits have some clever moments of wordplay, but weigh the album down because they go on too long and distract from the music. When the climactic "Blint's Tune" finally arrives, it is merely a meandering and overlong piano-led instrumental. Simply put, Consequences is a disaster: its humor is labored, its musical content is dull, and the mind-numbing length of the album proved that neither Godley nor Creme knew when to quit. The duo later proved they were capable of better and more focused satirical pop on albums like Freeze Frame, but they are lucky this creative train wreck didn't end their career before it could start
Tracks
Disc: 1
1. Seascape
2. Wind
3. Fireworks
4. Stampede
5. Burial Scene
6. Sleeping Earth
7. Honolulu Lulu - Godley & Creme, Adler, Lou
8. The Flood
9. Five O'Clock in the Morning
10. Dialogue
11. When Things Go Wrong
12. Dialogue
13. Lost Weekend
Disc: 2
1. Dialogue
2. Rosie
3. Dialogue
4. Office Chase
5. Dialogue
6. Cool, Cool, Cool
7. Dialogue
8. Sailor
9. Dialogue
10. Mobilization
11. Dialogue
12. Please, Please, Please
13. Dialogue
14. Blints' Tune, Movements 1 - 17
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Weather Report - Black Market (1976)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 7:06 AM 0 comments

Weather Report's second "phase" (1973-76) established its (now famous) sound, variously characterized by:
1. Mysterious and ethereal compositions
2. Funky rhythm & blues "grooves"
3. Elaborate electronic textures
4. Virtuoso supporting musicians
5. Influence of diverse musical cultures

"BLACK MARKET" (1976) evinces a maturity of approach, the band consolidating artistic gains from previous years by constructing a unified group of suite-like musical landscapes that draw on elements of jazz, funk and "world music".

The opener ( "Black Market" ), with its infectious melodic "hook", radiates a positive, life-affirming warmth (nice solos and firm, funky rhythmic support) while the closing moments provide a sobering contrast: synthesized imitations of gun and artillery fire reflecting the tragedy of strife endemic (then and now) in many parts of the war-torn "third world".

"Cannonball" is a tribute to (then recently deceased) Julian Adderley, the famous alto saxophonist/bandleader who was Joe Zawinul's former employer. The tune, while pleasant enough, is somewhat lightweight: its streamlined style and overtly sentimental melody presage similar material to follow on their next ( and most famous ) album "Heavy Weather" ( note that Jaco Pastorius' recorded debut with WR took place on "Cannonball" ).

"Gibraltar" opens to sounds of the portside city (waves & foghorns) and softly evocative soprano sax before giving way to a prototypical Weather Report groove superbly laid down by bassist Alphonso Johnson.

Wayne Shorter's "Elegant People" is one of the perennial Weather Report favorites with its feeling of romantic intrigue and flamenco influenced (Phrygian) cadences (yet another infectious thematic "hook" and some impassioned tenor sax by Shorter).

The other Shorter tune on the album ("Three Clowns") is a bizarre "funhouse" ballad, with the composer playing a synthesized wind instrument ("Lyricon").

The final two pieces are both composed by bassists:

Jaco Pastorius' "Barbary Coast" is a brief, funky and somewhat meandering piece.

Alphonso Johnson's "Herandnu" is an interesting tune; a rolling, calliope-sounding theme in alternating time signatures morphing into an up-tempo fusion feature for some keyboard improv by Zawinul (who paraphrases his own "Black Market" at one point). The theme briefly returns before the ghostly eeriness of a 45 second coda.

"BLACK MARKET" was the summation of a musical path established in the 3 preceding albums, which while exhibiting many traits from the previous period also pointed towards the more streamlined direction they would take in their most popular phase (w/ Jaco Pastorius as a dynamic influence). While the group recorded a lot of good music and gained a much-deserved fame in the following years, the 4 albums Weather Report recorded from 1973 to 1976 stand as their most consistently creative efforts.
By Ian K Hughes
Tracks
1. Black Market 6:32 $0.99
2. Cannon Ball 4:40 $0.99
3. Gibraltar 7:49 $0.99
4. Elegant People 5:03 $0.99
5. Three Clowns 3:27 $0.99
6. Barbary Coast 3:10 $0.99
7. Herandu
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Bootsy Collins - This Boot Is Made For Fonk-N (1979)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 3:51 AM 0 comments

Bootsy's still keeping the P-Funk flag flying high at the end of the 70s -- arguably stepping out here with a sound that's got more of the Parliafunkadelicment elements intact than some of George Clinton's other spinoff groups! The tracks are long, and plenty jamming -- still with plenty of star power from Bootsy upfront -- but also some wonderfully tight rhythms from the rest of the players too, all in that mix of hard-rolling, and light-tripping funk modes that still set the P-Funk groups apart from the pack of imitators who'd cropped up in their wake! Titles include "Jam Fan (Hot)", "Bootsy Get Live", "Under The Influence Of A Groove", "Chug-A-Lug", "Oh Boy", and "Shejam".
Tracks
1. Under the Influence of a Groove
2. Bootsy Get Live
3. Oh Boy
4. Jam Fan (Hot)
5. Chug-a-Lug (The Bun Patrol)
6. Shejam (Almost Bootsy Show)
7. Reprise (Get Live)
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Robin Scott - Woman from the Warm Grass (1969)

Posted by Amelia Swhizzagers On 12:49 AM 0 comments

Robin Scott's 1969 album Woman from the Warm Grass was very much in the mold of many British folk-ground artists of the time who were gingerly making the transition to a folk-rock sound. In fact, in material and presentation, Scott was fairly similar in feel to a few other artists that producer Sandy Roberton worked with, including Al Jones, Keith Christmas, and Shelagh McDonald. Scott's vocals and songs were earnest and verbose, with the reflective fragile moodiness (and yearning, sometimes florid romanticism) found in many British folk/folk-rock singer/songwriters of the era, from Al Stewart and Donovan on down. As artists in this genre go, Scott's pleasant and reasonably interesting, though not distinguished. He and Roberton do vary the arrangements, sometimes opting for just solo acoustic guitar and voice, at others using full rock backing from the band Mighty Baby. Generally, the unplugged tracks work better; "The Sound of Rain," with subdued orchestration backing the acoustic guitar, has the sort of narrative-oriented mystical acid folk pioneered by Donovan, while "Song of the Sun" has the poetic wordy gray melancholy very particular to this period of British folk. So there's a lot here for listeners who dig this particular micro-style in general, with the notable exception of an overwhelmingly strong vocal or songwriting individuality, though Scott's likable enough.
Tracks
1. Sailor
2. Song Of The Sun
3. Sound Of Rain
4. Penelope
5. Day Begins
6. Woman From The Warm Grass
7. I Am Your Suitcase Lover
8. Mara's Supper
9. Point Of Leaving
10. Purple Cadger
11. Red Road Digger
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