HANGIN' TEN ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

UPDATE 6/10/10: Corrupted track 4 has been replaced; album re-upped.
Obviously, this is not surf music. It's barely even Bo Diddley - apparently he's only on four of the songs. So what is this? Southern-fried r'n'b deceptively packaged to cash in on the '60s surf craze. I guess the scam would work if you had no idea that Diddley was a black guy from the middle of the country, nowhere near any oceans (not that it's impossible for black folks to surf, but it was mighty rare in the early '60s.) But considering that Bo was one of the biggest rock'n'roll stars of his day, that's not too likely.

The other songs were by one Bill Riley, who may or may not be Sun Records rockabilly wildman Billie Lee Riley, tho these instrumentals don't sound anything like Billie Lee's stuff.

At least they are mostly guitar instrumentals, with the psuedo-Hawaiian nonsense vocals of "Surfer's Love Call" hinting at exotica. A real curiosity, and a sought-after collector's item.

Surfin' With Bo Diddley

1. What Did I Say
2. White Silver Sands
3. Surfboard Cha Cha
4. Surf Sink or Swim
5. Piggy Back Surfers
6. Surfers Love Call
7. Twisting Waves
8. Wishy Washy
9. Hucklebuck
10. Old Man River
11. Oops He Slipped

AIN'T WE GOT FUN?

Just for you lucky Maniacs! Here's an exclusive collection of rare, obscure novelty songs and kooky instrumentals, thanks to DJ Useo, podcast host, and the compiler of the "It Is To Laff!" comedy mashup collections.

For you Dr Demento fans, the more juvenile/tasteless (not that there's anything wrong with that) songs are early on, giving way to cartoonish instros, dada weirdness, and satire (e.g.: the spot-on easy-listening yuppie spoof "Are You Middle-Class Enough?") Full of surprises, and, yep, fun stuff indeed.

FUN MUSIC
Mega-thanks to DJ Useo!

"THEY CALL ME APPLE LOVE..."

Paul Super Apple made a demo tape sometime in the '80s, and sent it to Keith Richards. The tape was passed around, copied, and tho the aspiring singer/songwriter never did get a record deal (much less a chance to work with his hero Richards), he did become an underground legend.

It wasn't just his music that made the tape such a sensation, tho Super Apple's singing augmented by seemingly-random echo effects accompanied by his enthusiastic electric guitar certainly has its charms. No, it's the between-song banter that really reveals the "interesting" personality of the artiste, such as when he compares his songwriting to folks like "Mister Master Paul McCartney," or, as he says in his thick East Coast accent, "Mistuh Mastuh Paul McCAWtney." A must-have.

Paul Super Apple

1 - Introduction
2 - Apple Love
3 - Love Lives On
4 - The Chance 5 - Closing Remahks
6 - Phone Conversation w/ Paul Super Apple

MORE MECHANICAL MUSICS

The collection of "mechanical music" I put together last month was a surprise hit, and it just so happens that some more music played not by human hands has come my way: an awesome German slide-guitar robot, a complex contraption that accompanies silent films, and a real curiosity: a late '50s album of rock 'n' roll player-piano arrangements.
The Three Sirens are the aforementioned German guitar-bots; their site's free-download page has some tasty tunes from their album "Robot Rock" - I especially like the balls-out (gears-out?) "Aglaopheme's Solo."

The P.A.M. (Partially Artificial Musicians) Band (pictured above) was created by Kurt Coble of the (get this) "Robotic Music Laboratory" of the University of Bridgeport, CT. No album, but as evidenced by the videos on his site, the live show must be amazing. His 'bots have recently been performing an original score to the classic Fritz Lang silent sci-fi film "Metropolis."

J. Lawrence Cook was a veteran piano-roll puncher and pianist who made a bizarre album in the late '50s of his piano-roll versions of current rock and r'n'b hits. A live band accompanies the player-piano mechanically grinding out unlikely (sometimes near-unrecognizable) ragtime-ish versions of songs made famous by Elvis, Bill Haley & The Comets, The Everly Brothers, etc, as well as some Cook originals. Why?! I mean, why go to the bother of laboriously punching out a player piano roll if live musicians are performing - why not just sit down and play the piano live? Definitely one of the weirdest artifacts of the original rock 'n 'roll era.

J. Lawrence Cook "Piano Roll Rock 'n' Roll"
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Thanks to J-Unit 1 and windbag!

THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THEN FREE DOWNLOADS...

...Yes, Virginia, there are still independent artists out there selling albums, trying to raise a little scratch so that they can continue their good works. So go buy stuff! Like what what we used to do!

The Everyday Film have another CD of serial-killer vocals and enigmatic electronics; 24 tracks in 12 minutes; still the most creepy cryptic thing out there, but this one seems strangely more accessible...or maybe I'm just getting used it. "The Cycle - excerpts"

Pan For Punks is an instrumental collection of Ramones classics performed punk/reggae/calypso style on Carribean steel drums. Could be a cheezy gimmick, but it's so well executed that it's a really good gimmick. Beach party/bbq album of the year. "Rockaway Beach"

Arrington de Dionyso blows mad horn improv over throbbing percussion - a voodoo ceremony on Hepcat's Island. Recorded directly to vinyl. Only 100 tapes available. "Naga Suara track 3"

Thelema Trio are a sax, clarinet and piano trio named for Aleister Crowley whose latest album features the work of South American composers. I know, I know, another one? My fave track might be "Shadowing" for intertwined clarinets and saxes reminiscent of Steve Reich stuff like "Electric Counterpoint" but more loose; it's 8 minutes long tho, so here's a piece by Peruvian composer Raphael Leonardo Junchaya that suggest Philip Glass playing a Bulgarian wedding: "Sikkinus"

Sc.art is a trio with roots in the Budapest '80s New Wave scene (who knew?) but have moved far beyond - the songs on their album "The Well-Tempered Universe" are based on actual outer space sounds, such as the ones we've featured here. Quite a variety of styles result, from the expected Vangelis-ish space-rock and Eno-esque ambience, to near-funk/pop, to abstract percussion, electro-noise and spooky drones. Hmmm, maybe in space they can hear you scream. "Universes Wailing"

Crying Demons Crying Demons Crying Demons!!

Preacher A.A. Allen made countless recordings of his fiery tent-revival sermons. But few religious records are as notorious as "Crying Demons Crying Demons Crying Demons," which claims to be real recordings of Allen casting out demons in front of enthusiastic crowds during his revivals. I think this album's cover has a lot to do with it's fame: the goofy-looking cross-eyed guy with the words "Crying Demons" scrolling down his face. But the unfortunates "saved" by Allen here are not black guys, but white and Latino women. Hmmm...
Allen sounds rather ineffectual. He commands the demons to leave, but they simply refuse. A lot of this album goes like: "Leave this woman!" "No." "Come out, I say!" "No, leave me alone." "I command you in the name of Jesus!" "Buzz off, mac." They don't do much crying til the end.

I found another mp3 called "Crying Demons" somewhere on line that I've included here that is apparently from another record. A three-sided record?! Now that's demonic!

A.A. Allen: "Crying Demons Crying Demons Crying Demons"

I think the album might just called " Crying Demons," but I like writing it three times so it's like the album cover.

Kids Party! Ice Cream! Roky Erickson!

So you want to put on a children's music show. Who do you book? How about someone who's been in and out of mental hospitals and prisons for decades, who sings in an anguished howl about monsters and demons? Someone who looks like this:

Sure, why not!  Yesterday I took Baby Fab to
her first concert. I was there, but I still can't quite believe it.  It was
NOT a nice little children's show, it was a full-on loud electric
rock 'n' roll extravaganza performed with absolutely no concession
to kiddie-music standards. Lots of parents did indeed bring their
children, who sat in front of the stage, some with their hands
covering their ears. But otherwise, they seemed to enjoy it.  It
was a great show, really fun, and over in 30 minutes.

I brought along a portable audio recorder. 

 
Roky Erickson - live at Echo Park Center For The Arts 5-19-10
1. I Walked With A Zombie 

2. Two-Headed Dog
3. Goodbye Sweet Dreams
4. Ooh! My Soul
5. Night of the Vampire [cut-off]

Unfortunately, due to my techno-clutziness, I didn't record the
very surreal q-and-a with the kids. He cheerfully answered
questions like:

Q: How does the drummer play so fast? Does he get splinters?
Roky: I hope that the drummer uses some magic gris-gris to
protect himself!
Q: Why was the zombie song so loud?
Roky: Because some people were wearing headbands and heavy
clothes and the music has to seep in...

They wrapped things up with a blistering version of
"You're Gonna Miss Me" (minus the jug
player). His backing band Okkervil River was excellent. I got a
free ChocoTaco. Baby Fab pretty much just slept.

Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer

What ho, Maniacs! Jolly nice rapper, or "MC," as it were, I've got spinning on my gramophone right now. The king of "Chap-Hop," doncha know. Unlike those other rap ruffians, this fellow knows the importance of good manners, has mad cricket skillz, and most importantly, comes from the right stock. Proper schools and all that.Mr. B has a ripping debut album out ("Flattery Not Included") of his upper-class raps (and occasional crooning) over beatz sampling vintage recordings + "banjo-lele" (a cross between a banjo and a uke) playing. DJ Kool's "Let Me Clear My Throat" is remade as "Let Me Smoke My Pipe" and the break-dance classic "Hey You (The Rocksteady Crew)" becomes:

Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer "I Say, You!"

Spiffy!

I Been Single All My Life...

Back in '05, I wrote: "Robert Alberg's sad life is detailed here, chronicling his battle with mental illness and depression. So despondent was he that he began creating deadly poisons, pondering the possibility of killing all life on earth. He was recently sentenced to five years probation."
I'm not one for lists, but this would be on my Top Ten Crucial Outsider Albums You Must Hear list, were I to make one. It makes Daniel Johnston sound like Rod Stewart. Accompanied by the most minimal acoustic guitar imaginable, Robert Alberg tunelessly "sings" variants of a phrase over and over in a warbly voice as he plunks one or two notes on his guitar. He's as obsessive/compulsive as Wesley Willis, with his use of repetition and half the songs being about sand and/or the ocean, but he doesn't have Willis' outrageous humor and high energy. It can be funny though, just because it's the most pathetic thing you've ever heard. I'm probably making this sound like it would be torture to listen to, but it's fascinating.

Someone started a MySpace page for him a couple of years ago, if you want to hear a couple of songs streaming. Can't find any info on what's happened to him since '04, but as his website no longer has a link to buy his album, here 'tis:

Robert Alberg

1. Walking Alone on the Sandy Beach
2. San [sic] Storms
3. I Been Single All My Life
4. I Want To Fly
5. Ocean of Darkness
6. Do You Really Want To Know
7. Snow Melting Away
8. Martian Sands
9. Water Wheel
10. I Been Looking For You

MUSEUM OF OBSOLETE INSTRUMENTS: THE XYLOPHONE

This whole album sounds like cartoon chase music.

The xylophone is yet another ancient instrument that has sadly fallen into obscurity. Because, y'know, you're only "cool" if you play the electric guitar. Which is a great instrument! But, as I've written before, our musical vocabulary - and, hence, a variety of moods and styles - is stunted if only a few sounds are permitted. So let's get uncool:

Apart from it's early use in classical music, "the xylophone was frequently used by early jazz bands in the 1920s and 1930s. It was also a very popular instrument in vaudeville." I admit I only bought this album because it contains a version of Gershon Kingsly's "Popcorn," and the title "Shake - American" looked intriguing (it's a version of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say") but I ended up liking the whole thing. The "classical" stuff is sometimes backed by a sleazy electric organ-led lounge combo, not a chamber music group. Everything's played at a frantic energy level as Eingorn pounds away with machine gun-like precision.

Michael Eingorn

REPO(ST) MAN

By request, I posted the mp3 of the funky Moog gospel song "Knee Power" HERE...

...the Lux Interior tribute "rat fink" songs...

and the German kitsch remix album.


("and I'm looking for the joke with a microscope...")

THE WORLD'S LONGEST ALBUM?!

We've been writing about British nutter Ergo Phizmiz for a while now, but he's outdone himself this time. Actually, he's outdone everyone. Presenting a 15-hour long project, which you can listen to or download for free here:

The Faust Cycle or, The House of Dr Faustus
He mixes radio-drama surrealism with antique-garde mashups and experimental music, and except for a prolonged noise/tuneless whistling stretch in the middle of part one, I was pretty much entertained throughout. Yes, I've listened to the whole thing, and then some. As the man says:

"One afternoon Ergo Phizmiz finds himself lumbered into delivering a parcel to the house of legendary alchemist and necromancer Dr Johann Faustus who, since the events of some time ago for which he is renowned, has entered into a rather quieter life in a vast, labyrinthine house, with hundreds of lodgers running the gamut from artists, birds, bird-people, walking fictions, ventriloquists, a Cassowary, running chairs, walking gramophones, and myriad automata.

This enormous dream fable, told through speech, songs, collage and sound-design, is the result of over three years delving down various rabbit-holes, and features collaborations in a range of contexts with artists of many disciplines...
In glorious radiophonic technicolour, it is a musical-comedy of disorientation and magick, somewhere between nightmare and the half-remembered childhood whimsy of an insomniac music-hall artiste."

Spectacular projects like this and Wax Audio's "Nine Countries" are further evidence that, despite mass media/entertainment industry indifference, the internet is on the cutting edge of culture. It's not just a bunch of kids posting LOL-cat pictures. Maybe historians will figure that out one day...

MEXICO A-GO-GO

Wow, I'm way late for Cinco de Mayo, but what the heck. Matorral Man are merry Mexican masters of mirth and music (I'd just like to break in here to apologize for the excessive use of alliteration in this sentence) that sample '60s kitsch for a upbeat blend of electronica, lounge, surf and go-go beat. Recommended to fans of Messer Chups, The SG Sound, Ursula 1000, and wrestling movies.

Nothing too radical here, just a big blast o' fun. Song titles that translate to "Kamikaze Girls" and "The Taxi of Tomorrow" should give you the idea. Next time you're at a party and the Black Eyed Peas come on for the umpteenth time, slip this one in. Everyone will give you a big ol' muchas gracias.

Matorral Man - Guateque Estelar

1. Tema De Monamu
2. Chicas Kamikaze
3. No Lo C
4. Vaquera Estelar
5. Operación Dinamo
6. El Taxi Del Mañana
7. Tripi
8. GoGo Girl
9. Yu Yu Beat
10. El Acapulco Rock
11. Lunática
12. Untitled

YOU GOTTA HAVE KNEE POWER!

I'm not really posting this album because of it's musical virtues (namely, upbeat Xian county-pop that sounds like a '70s variety show soundtrack), but because it's from Nashville, whose music district, including the venerable Grand Ol' Opry, is underwater as I write this. And for the album cover artwork. I mean, really: what...the...hell?!
That's Alvis (not Elvis!) pictured, with his wife and daughter. Gary S. Paxton's liner notes describe how Alvis would tell him: "What you need is JESUS. And I would reply, later man, pass the dope. At the time I could not figure out his bag. Where's this guy comin' from?"

Alvis

There's some nice "Moogs and Special Effects" by one Shane Keister, giving this an unexpected Space-Age feel, and more then a few ludicrous lyrics. But it really all comes together on the song "Knee Power." Seriously, folks, download this album for that track alone. It's got some funk-ay FUNK-ay Moog action. Yup, you never know where you're gonna find that next killer hip-hop sample. And dig the theology of these lyrics:

"God answers prayer night and day /and sometimes it's not what we want to hear/ but if we spent more time on knees bent low /the answer might be yes instead of no." Ah, so God DOES answer all our prayers - it's just that sometimes the answer is 'No'!

Don't want the whole album? By request, here's just the song:

Alvis Barnett & The Barnetts "Knee Power"

Thanks to windbag!

The Invertebrates "Eat 'em While They're Young"

The Invertebrates were one of the stranger ducks to emerge during the San Francisco punk/New Wave days, and that's sayin' something, considering how off-the-charts eccentric that scene was (Tuxedomoon, Monte Cazazza, The Units, Flipper, Inflatable Boy Clams/Ki-Di-Me, etc.)
The 6 songs on this EP are largely centered around compelling bass lines, sometimes dub throb, sometimes rock power, with all matter of sonic ephemera thrown on top: thrift-store record bits, horn skronk, electronic bleeps. The lyrics often seem to be sung verbatim from newspaper articles.

"The initial shows of fall 1980 depended on numerous film, slide, and overhead projectors. Much of the music was improvised as background to the visuals, though a few loose songs were also a part of the act. But then the songs began to tighten and grow in number. Pretty soon the musical side came to dominate.

An EP, "Eat 'em While They're Young", was released in 1981, followed in 1984 by an LP, "Let's Have Fun" (we still have a few hundred in the garage, so let us know if you'd like one) [I do!].

For a few years in the early 80's we also managed Club Foot, an art/punk hole-in-the-wall out at Third and 22nd Streets. From the beginning we've undergone innumerable personnel changes while generally consisting of a core of from three to ten men and women at any given time, along with an ever-varying group of occasional players dropping by. As of 2006, almost three dozen people have been involved." Surprisingly, they're still around, still releasing new albums.

The Invertebrates "Eat 'em While They're Young"

1. Phone Dub 1
2. Get It Right
3. Circus Doctor
4. Political Films
5. Please Gimme Another Chance
6. Phone Dub 2

This video of one of my fave songs off the EP demonstrates their visual/performance side:

MOOG MANIA

Los Angeles funky jazz band Mojo Triage did a few shows as Moog Mania in 2006, performing solely on vintage Moog synths and Moog Ethervox theremins (plus drums). I caught their first show, then bought a CD-R of a live recording of that very show the next time I saw them. They also performed at a Bob Moog tribute that featured a screening of the documentary film "Moog." And, so far as I know, never performed again.

This ain't no "Switched On"-type cheese fest (much as I love that kinda stuff). It's all original, all improvised. But it's not the amphetamine mayhem of Margaret Raven either - it's so funky/groovy it's hard to believe that it's all improv, like a '70s action soundtrack gone sci-fi. "Starsky and Hutch on Mars."

Mojo Triage "Moog Mania"

1. The Sourcerer
2. Voyager
3. Moog Mania
4. Theramoniously
5. Mighty Mini
6. Mo Memory
7. Moogocity

FORBIDDEN 45s!

That lovely Mr. Otis Fodder invited me to guest dj on his internationally-distributed show Friendly Persuasion, and since Otis has switched to all vinyl, I took the opportunity to break out my shoeboxes of singles and spin some of my all-time fave-rave obscure-o, funny 'n' freaky 45s. And it's (give or take a minute or two) 45 minutes long.

Talking harmonicas, noir mambo, inane novelties, orchestral twist, Space-Age doo-wop, Mel Blanc's least-loved voice character, Moogs being eaten by The Blob, Scatman Crothers covering Nervous Norvus, a truly amazing version of The Archies "Sugar Sugar"...it's all here:

Friendly Persuasion Show #257

Thanks, Otis!

Mr. "Home" Center

From the liner notes: "Jim Noste has been at the helm of one of New Jersey's most successful-reliable Home Improvement Center since 1948."

This album looks to be from the '80s, and features some top session aces (complete with arranger) playing the swingin' standards as Mr. "Home" Center adds his heavily-vibratoed vocals. The results can be funny, embarrassing, and, on ballads like "Could I Have This Dance," oddly moving. He sings with plenty of enthusiasm and emotional commitment. I would definitely buy vinyl siding from this man.

Bonus tune! A version of "I Get a Kick Out of You" from his first album (recorded at Sun Studios!) that, alas, I do not have, courtesy of WFMU's "Incorrect Music Companion."

Jim Noste "Songs For You"

Thanks to windbag!

'MAD MAN IN WACO': STILL WANTED

I thought I posted the David Koresh song "Mad Man In Waco" that everyone wanted but alas, I was wrong - apparently there's another version, in a more acoustic demo style, that is the one coveted by fans of singing doomed cult leaders. I can't find any info on MSNBC's website about the show that featured the song, hence, I can't even write the show's producers for info.

I keep getting emails and comments from folks desperate to hear the song, so again, if anyone's got it, give it up! (And, no, not the cd with the songs "Book of Daniel," and "Shesonahim" - we posted those HERE.)

LISTENING TO DANCING

Composer Stefan Poetzsch has a new album out now called "Light On" that features not just music for dancing, but music with dancing. Which is not a new concept - tap dancing's been around for years - but not quite like this. Here's a lovely bit of Minimalism for strings and piano that also features Afro-German dancer Bettina Essaka on amplified "...very quiet noises made when she moved her arms and legs":

Stefan Poetzsch: Sounds of The Dancer part 4

The rest of the album is wildly eclectic, ranging from thorny atonal modern classical, to Coltrane-inspired jazziness, to heavy Gothic organ, but this is the track that I keep returning to. My one complaint about this album: so much of the music has a visual aspect (the title track is performed with thousands of light sticks), but there's no DVD/video feature to this CD.
h

MAN, LIKE, DIG THESE CRAZY SQUIRRELS

Of all the sped-up-voices novelty acts rushed into print after the success of the Chipmunks, the craziest had to be The Nutty Squirrels, who, improbably, were a scat-singing bop-jazz variant on the concept. Heavy cats like Cannonball Adderly even played on it. Even more improbably, they could be really good - "Uh Oh, Pt.2" was an actual Top 40 hit in 1959 (the only bebop hit single?) and a ridiculously catchy tune to boot.

The Nutty Squirrels.

01 Uh Oh! (part one)
02 Uh Oh! (part two)
03 Ding Dong
04 Something Like That
05 Jumping Bean
06 Nutty
07 Uh-Huh
08 Salt Peanuts
09 Eager Beaver
10 Bang
11 Nutcracker
12 Zowee

They even had a tv show. Again I ask: when did jazz lose it's sense of humor?

THE TERROR-TRONICS OF NEIL ROSE

I scarcely could have imagined that when I picked up an innocent-looking package from my post office box that it would propel me into a world of unimaginable horrors, and that music, of all things, would be a bridge to unspeakable entities from beyond our realm!

But let me start at the beginning - I am a humble scribe for a music blog, and part of my regular duties is visiting the local post office to retrieve all manner of recordings sent to us by aspiring composers for possible review. Ah, music! Surely it is proof of the goodness of God himself. Or so I once thought...

The package, postmarked Plymouth, England, bore no indication of its' contents, and, indeed, a glance at the 18 page monograph contained therein prepared by sober academics and laden with charts and illustrations would lead one to believe that this was yet another humdrum musicological study.
It concerned one Neil Rose, whose interests were queer to be sure: a respected professor's attempts to communicate with the dead are hardly standard university fare. But Rose's own efforts eventually "went beyond science," through Carlos Castaneda-like ingestion of sacred drugs that act as a gateway to paranormal experiences beyond the imaginings of Lovecraft himself. The booklet's authors note that his writings come to an abrubt halt, leaving his ghastly fate a mystery.

I put on the cd containing recordings of "residuum," that is to say: "supranatural energy and imprinting of this energy to magnet media," and no sooner had I done so when the window to my study flew open and a gust of frigid air blew out my candle. But it was the disk's eerie sounds of Rose's damnable experiments that truly sent a shiver down my spine. May the Lord have mercy on our doomed souls!

Neil Rose: "Residuum" (SoundCloud link)

The book/cd package "Residuum" is available by writing neil@gotanyrice.com. The music is dark, compelling abstract ambient electronica, occasionally with a beat, tho dancing is hardly appropriate, and the realistically detailed booklet will convince many.
,

No Humans Allowed - A Mechanical Music Sampler

UPDATE 4/21/10: New link to zip file.

My attempts to post an album a day were foiled by yet another computer virus. A $250 repair bill, and we're back in business. In the last couple of days I've had requests to re-up a number of tracks under the "Mechanical Music" category - music played by robots and machines - such as the "Creepy Circus Tesla Coil" song, "Printer Jam," and the fairground organ version of "Puppet On A String." So, to save valuable time, I just decided to put together an album's worth of mechanical music that's been featured here on M4M into one zip file.

Music untouched by human hands! Office equipment, player pianos, music boxes, Tesla coils, and robot instrumentalists. ATTENTION HUMANS: YOU. ARE. OBSOLETE.

No Humans Allowed - A Mechanical Music Sampler

ArcAttack - Creepy Circus Song
bd594 - Bohemian Rhapsody
Ceiri Torjussen - Raiders March
Conlon Nancarrow - Studios For Player Piano 21
Cybraphon - A March For The Sea
Cybraphon - The Balkan Bazaar
dying carousel - Moon River
Ferranti Mark_1_computer - God Save The Queen-Baa Baa Black Sheep-In TheMood
Guy Hoffman and Shimon the robot
James Houston - Big Ideas (Dont Get Any)
James Tenney - Spectral CANON for CONLON Nancarrow
John Morton - A Delicate Road III (excerpt)
Joshua Fried - EmergencyBot
Mistabishi - Printer Jam
Steve Ward - Tesla Coil music
The Geek Group - Mario Bros Theme
The Trons - Sister Robot
The User - Symphony for Dot Matrix Printers
Tristan Perich- Just Let Go
wurlitzer fairground organ - Puppet On A String


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ALBUM DU JOUR #8: "Potato - 777"

Let's see what's in the Music For Maniacs mailbox, shall we?

"My name is Mark and I'm representing an artist that has a difficult time communicating in a way that makes sense. During the late 70s to late 80s this artist went as Potato, now he goes by Jerome Ron Dinkle. I am submitting his album "Potato - 777" (1988) with full permission from the artist. The album is comprised of Psychedelic Satire (very comparable to the Residents) which curves on the early side of noise. It's mainly comprised of vocals which is amazing due to the fact that Dinkle suffers from a "severe case of cleft pallet" which in turn gives the recording even an odder sound. This is the weirdest thing I've heard in a while..."

Potato - 777 (1988)

"...Feel free to post the entire album. By the time I ran into Jerome, he was residing in an assisted living community and had already given up on his pursuit in the arts. So I'm sure he will be delighted at the thought someone besides his friends are interested in his music."

Like the Everyday Film albums I wrote about recently, J.R.Dinkle is also from Texas, and his songs are also very brief (most a minute or less) featuring non-singing jibberish vocals and crude electronics. Unlike the scary Everyday Film, however, it's all quite silly and child-like. Residents comparisons are, indeed, apt - the Eyeballed Ones themselves would be proud of the better tracks here, like "Potato Party."

Tracklist:

1 - Sir Trumphet Stands Attention
2 - dirtfromlongbreakingoflandunderneathyouwatchingasallslipsthroughyourgraps
3 - Creeping Sunrise
4 - Potato Party
5 - Class of 777
6 - heysuesrideformine350fordor
7 - Clam Parade in Flesh of Sing
8 - RNR - Featuring Apprentice T Waine Edishun
9 - Thumn Mountian
10 - I Am The Rhinosorceress
11 - Twinkle Gums
12 - Randol Mill
13 - Today is The Joke, Tommorow is The Punchline
14 - Once Light Tickeled Shadow and Then it Consoled
15 - Twilight of the Year
16 - Notato
17 - Inch Allot Ah
18 - I am a Mountian When it Falls (Fly Away on the Wings of Love)
19 - Layase Fountian
20 - P.O.T.A.T.O
21 - I Am The Rhinosorceress (Club Remix)
22 - Cadillac Spring (Live at The Plop 1987)

ALBUM DU JOUR #7: Hank Williams Psych-sploitation

Country music legend Hank Williams just won the Pulitzer Prize. That's pretty interesting, because 1) he's been dead for well over a half-century, and 2) they give Pulitzer Prizes for music? I thought that it was a journalism award. Well, in any case, I'm sure that it must have been this album that swayed the committee.

The experience of listening to "Songs of Hank Williams - A Return Trip - Modern Sounds," a '60s album released by L.A.'s Alshire label (101 Strings), can best be summed up by the the liner notes: "Presented here is a program of ten of the most famous songs made famous [a redundant redundancy?] by the immortal Hank Williams. A group of exceptionally talented modern musicians were assembled with two top vocalists. These great songs were arranged in a modern Rock-Acid style, without losing the melodic line of the lyrics, and are presented here for the modern music lover. The whole idea of this album is to bring Hank's great music to the modern young generation, for truly they are great 'heart and soul' songs as evidenced by the millions upon millions of records they have sold. ENJOY THIS PROGRAM OF MODERN ACID-ROCK HANK WILLIAMS SONGS PERFORMED AND SUNG BY A FINE YOUNG GENERATION GROUP."

Sacrilege? It's pretty groovy, actually, with some funky rhythms, and fuzzed-out guitar. No musician credits. It isn't very psychedelic, tho the album cover shows a hippie girl giving a horse some multi-colored sugar cubes.

Hank Williams - A Return Trip - Modern Sounds

(Thanks to windbag!)

ALBUM DU JOUR #6: Off The Beaten Meter

Just released today is a wonderfully insane collection of mashups from an international assortment of dj/producers that have one thing in common - none of the tracks are in 4/4 time. Now this old-skool punk-rocker can have highly allergic reactions to prog, especially the Rush/Yes variety, but I found this collection to be more fun then a barrel of metronomes. It's quite a break from the usual stuff, and makes me realize how formulaic so much music is (even "strange" music).

Off The Beaten Meter

Classical musics from Ravel to Philip Glass, jazz ("Take Five," natch), William Burroughs and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and, yes, prog, get expertly mixed with disposable pop crap and electronica to sometimes head-spinning effect, all thanks to compiler DJ Not-I, an American now living in Austria. Many of my fave mashup-ers are on here, inc. G3rst, Virtual DJ (both Dutchmen, I believe), France's Totom, and Orange County, CA's Voicedude. (Oh, and I may have had something to do with one of the songs, but don't hold that against this album!)

ALBUM DU JOUR #5: Arthur Nakane 1-Man Band

Back in July '05, I wrote:

To describe veteran street-performer Arthur Nakane simply as a one-man-band hardly does him justice. But it will have to do, until someone can a come up with a better name for a performer who sits behind a wagon constructed of PVC pipes holding keyboards, percussion, amplifier, foot-operated drum machine and bass pedals (also made of PVC pipes), while wearing a harmonica holder around his neck and playing a guitar with sticks bolted and clamped to the guitar's neck. While playing guitar in the conventional style, he jabs at the keyboard with these sticks, playing simple keyboard melodies, and hits cymbals. With his right hand, he'll grab, say, a tambourine and shake it as he strums the guitar. All while singing in a thick Japanese accent. Using electronics skills I can't begin to comprehend (he teaches electronics by day), Nakane records his own voice while singing and, again using foot controls, plays it back, harmonizing with himself - a live overdubbing method.

I first discovered Nakane years ago in Santa Monica's outdoor mall, the Third Street Promenade, and, quite unexpectedly, I ran into him last week performing on the Santa Monica Pier, still playing for tips. A hand-made cardboard sign announced he had performed on Jimmie Kimmels's NBC-TV show in February. He's also opened for punk bands, appeared on radio and TV, and was the subject of a short documentary that played the Sundance Film Festival called "Secret Asian Man."

That film got it's name from Nakane's remake of the oldie "Secret Agent Man." When he sings it, not only does he change it to "Secret Asian Man," complete with verses sung in Japanese, but he pulls back his eyes, like when kids make those slanty-eyed Asian stereotype faces!

...his CD, featuring treatments of "Band On The Run," "La Bamba" (in severely shaky Spanish), and the definitive "Achy Breaky Heart" [is] a feast of grungy guitar and English/Japanese lyrics (Hmm, I don't remember Billy Ray Mullett rhyming "sake" with "Nagasaki"...) Order it from arthurnakane.com, the most minimalistic website ever. Or, as I did, buy a copy from the man himself, should you run into him on Santa Monica Beach. Recorded live, no overdubs, no edits. As Arthur told me, pointing to his equipment, "I am master of this..."

Arthur Nakane 1-Man Band

01. Band on the Run
02. Dont be Cruel
03. Secret Agent Man
04. Runaway
05. Achy Breaky Heart
06. La Bamba
07. Love Me Tender
08. China Night
09. Country Road
10. Here's Happiness
11. Teddy Bear
12. With You Forever
13. It's Now or Never
14. Sukiyaki

Lots of videos HERE!

ALBUM DU JOUR #4: Jim Fassett "Hear the Animals Sing"

SpaceAgePop sez: "Jim Fassett will be remembered by space age pop fans for one amazing piece of work: his 1960 Columbia album, Symphony of the Birds. Working with CBS radio technician Mortimer Goldberg, Fassett painstakingly pieced together fragments from recordings of bird calls originally made in the field...By rerecording some of them faster or slower and then superimposing multiple playbacks onto one tape, Fassett and Goldberg wove together the results like an arrangement for symphony orchestra." (An excerpt from can be heard HERE). This one is clearly made using the same technique as Symphony of the Birds, with actual recordings of animals being made to "sing" popular songs. But this album has a child narrator, and undeniable sexual innuendos, which will have you laughing, cringing, or both.

Jim Fassett "Hear the Animals Sing"

It's one 15 minute long file - side two was just "other animal songs" that is, routine kiddie stuff. 

UPDATE 4/15/14: Fassett used his long-running CBS radio show as a springboard for his sonic experiments, some of which were collected on his album "Strange To Your Ears," which you can now get on Amazon or itunes.

ALBUM DU JOUR #3: MC POTBELLY

Back in July '05, I wrote: "MC Potbelly is, in his words...a 42-year-old, white, male insurance agent from Marin County, California, an upper-middle to upper-class enclave about as far from "the 'hood" as you can get. His main influences? "The Sugar Hill Gang, Merle Haggard, and Bob Seger." His music production is as crude as his pimped-out lyrics, which he delivers in a thin, nasal, utterly-white sing-song, following no rhyme scheme known to man. Evidently, there was a full-length (well, 27 minutes) album released..."

After he sent me the disk (which was free to anyone who asked for one), I wrote: "Da Man himself sent me his home-recorded CD, chock full of brief-but-to-the-point songs boasting charmingly amateurish production, a rhyme flow like no-one else (except maybe The Shagg's drummer), and hysterical lyrics often detailing pimp life as he imagines it. Sometimes his lyrical concerns move beyond typical hip-hop subject matter and into metaphysical realms I don't quite grasp (genetic afterlife?)"

I described "Sisters," the sample song I posted, as: "...another of his pimpin' fantasies, so far beyond outrageous it's practically surreal."

MC Potbelly - My Favorites

1. Horizontal
2. Schoolboy
3. Want ad
4. Begging
5. Hijacked Ho
6. Sisters
7. Satellite
8. Hoin'
9. Potbelly Rap
10. Station of the Mind
11. Slave
12. Juice
13. Prisoner of a Drug War
14. Suburb
15. Player's Poem
16. Genetic Afterlife
17. Santa is Dead
18. Beatdown
19. Future
20. Oedipussy
21. Lando

ALBUM DU JOUR #2: ENOCH LIGHT AND THE DISCO BRIGADE

A nice maniac named Crichton72 sent me some disco tracks from Space Age hi-fi orchestra legend Enoch Light, which reminded me of a couple of other disco tunes Light and his Light Brigade recorded. Then - hey, what the heck! - I just went ahead and made a whole CD's worth of polyester atrocities by throwing in some other stuff that had been sitting on my hard-drive for a while, like the audio from a number of disco-themed '70s commercials that I had recorded off of YouTube (now you know what I do with my spare time) and other ridiculously entertaining EZ/lounge/orchestral disco biscuits. The result:

"Disco Sickness III: Enoch Light & His Disco Brigade"

Close Encounters of the Third Kind 3:35 Enoch Light & The Light Brigade
Sam Goody - Disco Album commercial 1:00
The Inconveniences Of Following A pretty Girl In The Streets at Night 1:36 Alec R. Costandinos [from a Hunchback of Notre Dame disco concept album]
Night Fever 3:22 Enoch Light & The Light Brigade [Oh, those fake BeeGees vocals!]
Jerry's Disco ad 0:29
Don't Cry For Me Argentina 2:52 Ray Anthony
Superstition 3:21 Mel Torme [Swingin' lounge version of a Stevie Wonder tune]
Jordache Jeans - Kids Got the Look (Commercial, 1980) [Creepy!]
Foxy Disco Girl 2:05 Music for Children's Disco [More creepy! Pedophilia-chic?]
Star Wars 4:30 Enoch Light & The Light Brigade
I Will Survive 2:48 Julie DeJohn [Courtesy of the 365 Days Project]
D'Ya Think I'm Sexy 3:42 Doc Severinsen
Plato's Retreat ad 0:59 [actual commercial from a New York sex club]
How Deep Is Your Love 3:21 Enoch Light & The Light Brigade
PSA Abominable Snowman - food groups 0:30
You Can Feel It All Over 1:27 Errol Desmond [Another swingin' lounge version of a Stevie Wonder song, this time it's "Sir Duke"]
Ramblin' Root Beer Commercial 0:57
Stayin' Alive 3:40 Enoch Light & The Light Brigade
1978 7-Up Commercial 0:30
What a Diff'rence a Day Makes 4:25 Enoch Light & The Light Brigade [Yes, the classic Dinah Washington jazz ballad]
Schlitz Beer Commercial - Disco 1979 0:29
Shaft 3:47 Jimmy Allen & The Brassworks [from a Los Angeles lounge band that sometimes featured actor Bob "Hogan's Heroes" Crane on drums]
Porno Holocaust (Main Titles) 2:44 Nico Fidenco [Soundtrack theme]
Love Train 2:59 Lenny Dee
Thunderbird commercial Shake 'em Up 0:30
Rocky's Theme (Gonna Fly Now) 3:49 Enoch Light & The Light Brigade
1978 McDonald's Big Mac commercial 0:30
Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind 3:12 John Williams [7" 33 1/3 Funky Song
included with the CE3K OST LP]
Hokey Pokey Disco 6:34 Discorobics
Death To Disco 4:37 Jimi Lalumia & The Psychotic Frogs [1977 artifact of the New York punk scene]

Here's the links to the first two volumes:
Disco Sickness
Disco Suicide

Big ol' thanks to Crichton72!

ALBUM DU JOUR #1: MARGARET RAVEN

Since I've haven't been able to post much this year, I'm gonna try to make it up to you-all by posting an entire album a day for...well, who knows how long. I'm not making any promises!

First up, a New York combo that features simply a theremin, and a battery of percussion (+ occasional odd vocal noises and unidentifiable sounds). If it is a theremin (as listed on their MySpazz page) it might have be put thru distortion/effects to get that gnarly sound. Or maybe just the lo-fi recording added the fuzz. One of the members tells me that some of the sounds are "made on a 'rainmaker' which is an instrument of pure electric feedback."

Why is it that when a guitarist takes long crazy solos he's a genius like Hendrix, but when it's done on electronics it's "just a buncha noise"? The insane energy level here is plenty fun, and the improvisations recall the spirit of '60s avant-jazz without actually being jazz. Only the bonus song "The Vanishing Lady" (and a bit of track 7) has lyrics, and most of the tracks are untitled, tho I was told that "the first song is called 'rub me, rainbow' and the last track is 'song that she learned' but the others don't have names."

Track 4 and 6 are especially bonkers. Blast it!

Margaret Raven
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OOOPS....

UPDATE 4/8: Well over 100 more oldies re-upped.

UPDATE 4/6: Forty more tunes added, all under the "Outsider" label, including the horrific Rhonda ep. Thanks for the nice emails and comments, glad all this is worth it! I'll try to get back to re-uploading more at some point...

UPDATE 4/3: I spent the better (?) part of the afternoon re-upping 120+ tracks going back to '08. I'm quitting for now, but let me know if there's anything in particular you want me to put back on-line.

UPDATE 4/2: I've re-upped everything for the last four months.

It has come to my attention that all the mp3s that I posted before February - the month of my computer mishaps - are off line now. Damnit! I thought I was finished with all my compu-problems, but they never end, do they? Anyway. Will try to put stuff back up soon. Your call is very important to us, please stay on the line...






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WHAT'S A PLEONASM?

Pleonasm is new FREE! 'net label of, as it's proprietor C.Cummings says, "outsidery lo-fi obscure no-genre" and, yup, plenty of the recordings (e.g.: Baker & Abel) are in the fine tradition of kids-goofing-off-into-a-tape-recorder, tho some, like that of Beat poet Bill Bissett, verges on respectably high-brow. Their roster spans from New York to California to Canada. Dig:

The Taints: 3 songs in 4 minutes of juvenile Casio silliness; "I Wanna Get In Your Pants" is my pick-to-click.

Carnivorous Birds "Life Metal": a whopping 27 songs, but I was entertained throughout; some songs like "Acid Squirtgun" really had me laffin'!

Dolphin Explosion: Unfortunately only one song from this gang of unruly six-year-old girls, with one of my favorite artists Mike Kelley somehow ending up on drums

Mannlicher Carcano: pretty intriguing Negativland-ish mix of sampling (inc. a 9 minute meditation on Johnny Cash) and live instrument improv.

Poo Poo Cushion: A fair amount of futzing around, interspersed with songs like "I Don't Want To Go To School" that remind me of classic Cali hardcore, which makes me happy.

Sunday Brunch With Stan: Surprise! Actual pop songs, well recorded and performed - "Juicy" is funky genius.

And there's so much more...
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