Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Treasure Hunt!!! (record digging report for 07/28/09)

(click pic to enlarge)

top to bottom, left to right:
Jupiter "Sunset", the Seventh Seal "Reflections", Annette Peacock "X-Dreams", Johnny Hammond "The Prophet", Amir Cantusio Jr. "The Seven Spheres", Jan Hammer "The First Seven Days", Makoto "s/t", Michael Gregory Jackson "Clarity", Todd Rundgren "Runt"...


(notice how's there's a bunch of references to the number 7? weird!)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Saturday, July 25, 2009

vinyl show & tell vol. 9 - LATIMORE "Let's Straighten It Out" (1974)




With every last beautiful ounce of your understated womanly allure, even in the depths of domestic scorn towards your man, hair gone every which direction, fire in the eyes, could you ladies, really think about this...Could you really be angry at a humble yet smitten (not to mention dapper) Benny Latimore and his slick-ass Fender Rhodes?

Well I should hope not because the dude is soul incarnate, and he's trying his damnedest to sing his way back to the bedroom with this stellar 45rpm single. Unlike most of his contemporary soul singers from the mid-70's, Latimore hits every cliche of the sex-funk genre without getting too mushy (Barry White), too goofy (Ohio Players), or too sleazy (Barry White again). "Let's Straighten It Out" came out in 1974, proving to be the biggest hit Big L would have during his professional career, although he still continues to record respectable r&b to this day. The Glades label was arguably the most influential funk/soul label south of Stax Records in the 1970's, launching many groups & singers from the expansive Miami scene. You could say that Latimore was like the Isaac Hayes of this crowd.

Rhodes electric piano is the main instrument on display here with some Arp String synth in the background of the B-side "Ain't Nobody Gonna Change My Mind". The backing group sounds really simple, maybe just a rhythm section of drums and electric bass. I really love Latimore's simple phrasing and vocal delivery; never seems melodramatic or all over the scale (a weird tendency for a lot of soul singers when they begin improvising). Not as unique as an Al Green but beautiful none the less.

Found abused & discarded at the bottom of a magic grocery bag full of beat up soul 45's...

7 out of 10 on the "Please forgive me baby!" scale...


check out the Funk My Soul blog for some more Latimore goodies...

SLEEP - "Dragonaut"

as legendary as they come...the perfect Gummo song...smoke pot...

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

the Stark Reality plays "Acting Thinking Feeling"...

This band is about as classic can be in the circles I run with, but if you don't know get on it. Monty Stark (vibraphonist) put together one of the most effortlessly exciting jazz-funk-psychedelic rock groups to ever cut vinyl. They were talented as hell and did lengthy cover versions of children's songs by Hoagy Carmichael. The Stones Throw reissues are pretty much the only way to go, recommended beyond belief.



Friday, July 17, 2009

Squarepusher Live in Tokyo (1997)



An early live performance of Tom Jenkinson's, from the Hard Normal Daddy era (and one of my personal favorites of his work)

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Kaleidoscope - "Faintly Blowing"

Kaleidoscope "Faintly Blowing" (Fontana / 1969)




Do you know what a wall record is? It's terrible. A wall record is something a record dealer hangs behind his tables at a convention to send the depraved masses into a hysteria when they walk on by. One who is well-read on the trade that he or she is plying will know what albums to hang up: original jazz pressings from all the obvious labels, the Beatles "butcher" cover, local funk classics, box sets, and almost always there is rare classic rock...most importantly, rare psychrock. But all that shit is priced accordingly and you will begin looking at the rest of their bins instead and so it begins.

This one here, "Faintly Blowing" by Kaleidoscope, is a wall record of the highest order, mainly because we all know about it (and probably want a copy). Released in 1969 on the crest of whimsical psychedelia, this sophomore album covers so much wonderful ground that it seems puzzling why it sold poorly until being rediscovered by record collectors via the Nuggets series. Perfect for Floyd fans who always liked Syd the best since some of the lyrical imagery and vocal delivery is almost the same, if not more cognizant. Some tunes are all heavy fuzz and loud Hammond organ that'll turn on a dime and become like a stoned Zombies and ride out waves of phased drums. Great guitar playing of all sorts, above average for the time and not at all show-offish. Not surprisingly, some of it sounds like the Beatles and Dylan folkrock. I would also say that this record is unmistakably British in the way that it revels in quaintness, history, and fairy tale-inspired content (not to mention record cover).

All songs are recommended but my favorites are: "(Love Song) For Annie", "Opinion", "Bless The Executioner", "Poem", and "Do It Again For Jeffrey" of course. The reissues are probably the way to go because Fontana Records butchered the original mix if you ask me, plus there are bonus tracks and such. Why isn't rock n' roll fun like this anymore?








Marijuana Lp Smuggling

Leslie Nielsen Videos

I was listening to the classic Board of Canada album Geogaddi and I always liked the nature film clips from Leslie Nielsen on the song Dandelion.



This has led to a youtube treasure trove finding of his past work (ignoring most of the Naked Gun and other movies from the 90s-00s). Starting with some documentary narration and early movies and then moving into some classic commercials I remember from my childhood like the WWe one and the Dollar Car Rental. I highly recommend Day of the Animals as he is just so fucking evil in it, so you may want to start that from the beginning instead of the clip I have posted.

















And lets not forget "Surf Ninjas", during the era of the classic ninja movies of the early 90s, obviously inspired by the Karate Kid and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I will leave you with another personal favorite of that era is Sidekicks with Chuck Norris Beating the crap out of Joe Piscopo.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Wiener Dog on a Minimoog...



Silly song, but good to see dogs on synths instead of cats.



Using animals as synths or other instruments seems like a promising new direction in music and noise generation. MIDI or CV inputs on collars should be developed for more flexibility and control.

[TV] Nickelodeon IDs from the 1980s

Looking up random shit online can sometimes really bring together some crazy memories....on a late-night whim, I found this goldmine:




Fred/Alan IDs 1985-1991 from fredseibert on Vimeo.

Indeed. 3 minutes of high-quality Nickeloden ID's, from the mid-to-late 1980s. It's crazy to think that a quick flash of an orange logo, plus some distinctive doo-wop music can really take you back, but that's just the way the first kid's network clicked with me back in the day.

As a spry youngster, I distinctly remember keeping my eyes locked at the television, watching Nickelodeon intently, Mr. Wizard's World to be exact, waiting for it to be over, and for Finders Keepers to start.

As the years went on, I remember watching for the top of the half/hour, for the next show to begin, and for the next new ID to show up. There used to be a time when I'd intently record said identifications onto a VHS tape, because I knew one day I'd love to have a compilation video of Nickelodeon IDs. I'm not sure if that video still exists amongst my piles of VHS tapes anymore, but the next time I'm home, I may need to start digitizing.

The ID, when it comes to Nickelodeon, really defined the network. A random, 10-second clip of animation(sometimes live-action), declaring, one way or another, that you were tuned into Nickelodeon. For the first two decades of its existence, both MTV and Nick had this on lock. Catchy, memorable, and just plain weird IDs that defined the network.

Looking back on this, it's rather unfortunate that neither network does any of this kind of promotion, especially with Nickelodeon celebrating its 30th year as a cable network, you would think they would take these old clips out of mothballs, and play 'em, or at least throw old-schoolers such as myself a bone, and play some of their old programming for a one-time-only thing.

However, just because they(and MTV) haven't acknowledged how long they've been in the biz in a long time, I simply don't see it happening...but that's alright. Just having little pieces of nostalgia like this online is a nice throwback to the classic days of the station.

the AWESOME SOUND PROGRAM - July 12, 2009...

(the AWESOME SOUND program broadcasts live on WXOU.ORG sunday nights 9:30pm - midnight.)




turn it up!



TROLL score by Richard Band...

Monday, July 6, 2009

Saturday, July 4, 2009

4th of July again...

Happy Independence Day America...
you made it through another year.
"Let's party!"





click to play "You're in America" by Granicus (1973 RCA Records)




Friday, July 3, 2009

the AWESOME SOUND PROGRAM - June 29, 2009

(i'm going to try to remember to record the radio show and post it here every week...the program broadcasts live on WXOU.ORG sunday nights 9:30pm - midnight.)





thanks, enjoy!