3AM Eternal: Ray Charles “Lift Every Voice And Sing” (1972)

For the past month, the subheading for The Recoup has proclaimed this to be the best Black History Month ever. I wasn’t being facetious! I’ve really enjoyed my forays into the vast and interesting and wonderfully diverse corners of Black culture. I could have easily picked another twenty-eight tracks and had an equally wonderful experience. Heck, I could pick a whole year’s worth of Black music and still never feel complete. What does that tell you?

It tells you that there is a wonderful wealth of Black culture just waiting for you to discover!

At the beginning of this month, I stated that I do not limit my view of Black History Month as a strictly American phenomenon, simply because that is way too limiting to the wonderful scope of Black contributions to music and the arts. I didn’t really have a planned-out list of who would be featured; I played it by ear, letting my whims and my interests lead me to discover sounds and performances by artists known and unknown, familiar and foreign.

Every month should be Black History Month. You’ll be amazed at the wonders you’ll find if you just keep that in mind.

We close with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song commonly known as the “Black National Anthem.” Though I understand and appreciate the sentiment behind that description, I think it’s way, way too limiting–the songs speaks to all mankind’s, irrespective of race or nationality.
The sentiment of the line “Sing a song full of faith that the dark past has taught us/Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us/Facing the rising sun of our new day begun/Let us march on till victory is won” rings true to the African-American experience, to be sure, but it is something that every man, woman, and child should consider it the goal to set to make the world a better, more beautiful place.

3AM Eternal: Tom Brock “Have A Nice Weekend, Baby” (1974)

Let’s go back to 1974 to wish you a good weekend, shall we? Tom Brock only released one album–a shame–and this was the song that kicked it off…and it’s a wonderful, sultry groove that is fitting for a song getting into to the weekend mood. Enjoy!

3AM Eternal: Joan Armatrading Live In Germany, 1980

Though existing somewhere in the more obscure corners of the music world, it’s a shame British singer Joan Armatrading isn’t better-regarded. Though mainly known for her quiet, emotionally-charged folk-soul blend thanks to her international hit “Love and Affection,” she is a versatile vocalist who can go from folk to soul to blues belter and back with precise and seamless ease. She’s still an active musician, regularly performing live and occasionally releasing albums. Hopefully, the Esoteric Records reissue campaign of her early work slated for this year (with debut album Whatever’s For Us coming on April 27th) will help to reintroduce her seminal early works to a wider audience.

3AM Eternal: Fishbone Live In Tokyo, 1992

We’re still freezing here in Texas, and we need something to warm us up. There’s nothing better, then, than vintage Fishbone! So, enjoy the onstage antics of Angelo Moore, and marvel at the man’s bottomless energy!

Bedhead: 1992-1998 (Numero Group)

bedhead
At the time this Bedhead started they were lumped in with the genre known as slo-core (or slow rock). I know, the name’s not so great but heck, neither is pop punk. From the very beginning, these guys were on to something. The Dallas-via-Wichita Falls quintet, led by the Kadane brothers , Matt and Bubba, had a small but loyal following. Once they broke up I don’t recall their name being mentioned as near as it should have, but I hope this box set will change all of that. 1992-1998 includes everything that the band recorded: their three full length albums, as well as a separate cd that includes singles, eps and b-sides, as well as la nice, thick booklet including liner notes by Saturnine’s Matt Gallaway and plenty of pics and info.

The band’s sound was mostly quiet and contemplative with occasional loud bursts and the vocals were usually low in the mix. The band released before recording their debut full-length, 1994’s What Fun Life Was, released via Trance Syndicate. That album opened with the superb “Liferaft” and then ripped right into the louder, more driving “Haywire” and on to the gorgeous “Bedside.” This dynamic carries on until the chaotic ending of “Wind Down.” It was a powerful combination; their music was quiet, but it was quiet in a very, very loud way–a tendency that translated the band into a powerful live force–one that will be documented in a forthcoming live album from their final tour.

Full length number two, 1996’s Beheaded, saw then further refine their sound an even add a few things (like some slide guitar) but it’s still the same basic formula. Opening title track has Matt Kadane mumbling sweet nothings while a web of spidery guitars forms around it, while the six minute “The Rest of the Day” positively brims with fire and passion. In songs like “What’s Missing,’ “”Burned Out” “Withdraw” and “Losing Memories” do we see a theme here? Possibly.

By the time of their swan song, 1998’s Transaction de Novo the band were basically indie rock heroes, at least to some of us. Opener “Exhume” shows that the band could slow the pace down even more (believe it or not) as well as “More Than Ever,” while on “Parade” it’s just the opposite, which is like the speed of a D.R.I. song by comparison. Their sound remained the same, but yet it picked up an air of accessibility that was quickly becoming much more commonplace in the indie rock scene–proof of their growing influence on younger bands.

Disc number four is a compilation, putting together their two EP’s, singles, and unreleased material, includes some great stuff including covers of both Joy Division (their cover of “Disorder” is not to be missed) and an unreleased version of The Stranglers‘ “Golden Brown.” The only thing missing here is the posthumous recordings that were labeled “Bedhead” on a collaboration with Macha that appeared in 2000–an interesting but not essential (and not really Bedhead) collection.

Sadly, though,that was that. Boredom brought the band to an end. Three full-lengths and some extras in six years–a relatively small discography, to be sure, but every minute they released was and remains essential. The Kadane Brothers would refine this sound further in their next band, The New Year. They did it their own way and they mattered. I’m glad someone at The Numero Group thought so, too.

–Tim Hinely

3AM Eternal: Fela Kuti & Africa 70 Live In Berlin (1978)

Fela! “The greatest thing that ever came out of Africa,” it is declared, and it’s hard to deny that. May you be enlightened by the next hour and a half you spend with one of the greatest African musicians of the 20th century.

Enjoy!

Art Pepper: Neon Art: Volume One (Omnivore Recordings)

Art-Pepper-Neon-Art-Volume-1-album-cover

Jazzman Art Pepper may be one of the genre’s wildest characters. Though an excellent bop performer, it was his reputation that made him known: his drug habit, his wild antics, and his prison stints–all wonderfully documented in his harrowing autobiography, Straight Life–unfortunately have a tendency to overshadow the music he made. Dying suddenly in 1982, less than three years after the publication of his memoirs, meant that his his rep–rather than his music–would be the talking point that would last. Thankfully, his widow, Laurie Pepper, has done an excellent job of keeping his legacy alive and fresh, via her Widow’s Choice label imprint, as well as her involvement in key reissues of his work.

Neon Art: Volume One, was released in 2012 on vinyl via Omnivore Recordings, and is now seeing a wider CD and digital release. The two tracks featured here capture Pepper live in Seattle, a year before his death, and both tracks find him in fine form. “Red Car” is a jaunty number that pays tribute to the first new car he bought, and the bouncy piano work of Michio Leviev lays down a groove that captures the pride of ownership, accentuated by Pepper’s easy-going, sunny-day saxophone playing. The second track, “Blues for Blanche,” is an equally jaunty, cool-sounding affair. Blanche was Pepper’s cat, and this is a fitting tribute for a feline; devil-may-care, funky, and fun.

What makes this set so enjoyable is that it is is the sound of a man simply enjoying being onstage. If you can’t envision Pepper giving a wide smile during the applause in the middle of “Red Car,” then you aren’t really trying, man.

3AM Eternal: The Veldt “The Cradle Will Fall” (1992)

It’s no exaggeration to state that The Veldt were the first African-American shoegaze band. Appearing in the early 1990s in the fertile Chapel Hill independent rock scene, the band was the creation of twins Daniel and Danny Chavis. Their sound–a soulful take on the British dream-pop movement–was unique, which resulted in them signing to Mercury Records in 1994, who released their excellent debut album Afrodisiac. They would go on to critical acclaim, working with Robin Guthrie, as well as touring with The Cocteau Twins, among others. Though their time was brief, the brothers reunited as Apollo Heights in 2002, but have since reverted to using The Veldt as their name.

Just recently, The Veldt released their first new recording in nearly two decades, and you can listen to it below. A new album is forthcoming, and if this selection is any indication, it’s gonna be a killer record.

3AM Eternal: Mahalia Jackson In Concert, Hamburg, 1961

Simply stated, one of the finest Gospel singers of the Twentieth century. Deep, haunting, beautiful–she reaches into the soul and stirs the spirit.

3AM Eternal: Thelonious Monk–Live Solo, 1969

Just a little quiet, gentle piano playing from the master of jazz piano, a lovely soundtrack for after-hours and sleepless winter mornings.

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