This record has been around for long enough that most of you have probably heard it, but I recently received a request for it and figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to post it. As the demon of time turns over his hourglass and declares a new year of infinite tortures, as cities burn and death rains from the sky, as we scrabble to the bars and peer out from our cages only to see a neverending matryoshka of larger encapsulating cages, what better balm for the torment–what brighter beacon to shine into the wall of storms–could there be than the righteous beauty of Kim Jung Mi and Shin Joong Hyun's masterpiece, Now? With clarity of vision and perfect execution, these songs fill the air with sensuality and strength and all the pure beauty of spirit we so often imagine humanity to possess and so rarely see evidence of. "Your Dream Like a Stream" sounds to my ears like a call of defiance issued into the devil's foul yawning maw, a fist shaken in the air at the audacity and arrogance of anyone who might judge us from his seat in the sky. Kim Jung Mi's voice creates a calm spot in the rain of blood and ash where one can breathe; it re-orients the universe to align itself with her at its center. Because when "Toward the Sunlight" or "My Beautiful Land" is playing, when that voice sounds out (and is risen on the gorgeous structures of Shin Joong Hyun's guitar and arrangement), god damn it then something is right with this monstrous unfinished creation we call existence. Happy New Year, I love you all. NOW/Wind(192)
I have also included a Kim Jung Mi record called Wind, which I can't remember anything about and which has the same basic tracklist as Now, with some exceptions, but which I have always liked having as well. Both are sadly no better than 192. Feel free to educate me on the particulars of these releases, and/or upgrade the qualitywhile you're at it.This post is for Adam first and all others in a very close second.
"Gato's great strength lies in the huge, wild high tone he coaxes from the tenor instrument and in his novel mingling of South American concurring rhythms and melodic traditions with the searing energetics opioneered by Coltrane, Coleman and Albert Ayler. The great appeal of his music is the apotehosis of heartbreakingly gorgeous melodic lines... into churning imploding kegs of rhythm and the soaring expression of feeling via the tenor saxophone." - Stephen Davis, quoted in the liner notes for Under Fire
"...I sing sometimes, not because I like to sing but because the music needs singing. And when I scream with my horn, it's because the music needs screaming."- Gato Barbieri
I have talked before about Gato Barbieri's sweet spot, between the 60's spent sessioning (usually exquisitely) for the likes of Lalo Schifrin and Don Cherry and his eventual late-70's latin-lover endgame into bombastic mediocrity. This is Barbieri in that sweet spot, his classic early/mid-70's prime as bandleader, blending spiritual and passionate modal jazz with experiments into Latin folk tradition and cinematic romanticism. Under Fire finds him blowing his trademark pink-hot, sweaty fire-music sound with Lonnie Liston Smith at his side making cool breezes on piano and Airto Moreira on percussion (Moreira being most famous for his work on Bitches Brew-- further proof of his genius in this thrilling video).
This record is very much in line with others of the time, especially those I've shared here (Latin America Chapter One and Bolivia certainly come to mind, particularly the latter). Evocative and smoldering, with deep grooves; studious use of South American popular music elements, in this case with a soft focus on Brazil; experimental and restless without getting too far out into free-blowing brain-splitting material (which might be said of the same year's howling Fenix, which gets pretty bonkers, admittedly to considerable rewards). This LP stands with the best of Barbieri's work in terms of quality and consistently sublime mood, even if it doesn't have a track as transcendent as Bolivia's "Bolivia" or the majority of Latin America-- or the stunningly unique vitality of either of those records, honestly. Still, it's basically a minor masterpiece, a slow-creeping and near-perfect set.
Sorry I was away so long. I'm back now, and I've got some things lined up that I hope will be just right for the summer that is here now, including the newest Jungle Shadows mix, if anyone's interested. I guess I oughtta shine up Dub Hot Dubs 3 too, as it's gettin' hot out there, my god. Anyway, please do stick around.
The six Lone Wolf and Cub films are, without a doubt, six of my favorite films of all time. Based on the notably cinematic 1970's manga, and starring the glorious Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Itto, the series depicts the nihilistic exploits of a father-and-child death machine, as they wander the Japanese countryside accepting assassin commissions and meting out utterly merciless revenge.
Because of their cartoonish nature and outrageous violence-- the constant challenge to top themselves by inventing increasingly bizarre ways to depict sword-deaths and blood-spray, the ubiquitous final-act battle wherein Ogami Itto must slay no less than an entire army or armies-- the Lone Wolf and Cub series has rarely been taken as seriously as art as it deserves. While many of the great Samurai films-- nearly all of them, in fact-- explore the socio-political constructs and resultant injustices of feudal Japan (think Sword of Doom, Three Rebel Samurai, Kill!, Hara-Kiri, Samurai Rebellion, all of you-know-who's samurai efforts, from Seven Samurai to Ran), thus offering subversive elements of allegorical social critique and achieving a deep contemporary cultural resonance, Lone Wolf and Cub traffics very little in these waters. The protagonists' identity is largely defined by their total rejection of the entire social contract.
Itto characterizes himself and his son as "evil," or "demons." Though his sensible, self-evident morality (and paternal devotion) often casts him as one of the only noble characters in the universe, he still represents an unusually nihilistic agent of death death death inevitable fucking death, remorselessly cutting through the landscape (while pushing a stroller), leaving nothing but wind blowing over silent corpses in his wake-- and so the demon comparison is, in many ways, a fitting one. There are no lessons learned, no morals reinforced, no power structures or social codes satirized in any but the most basic sense-- the polemic of every Lone Wolf and Cub is: mess with Lone Wolf and Cub and you will die.
This fascinatingly simple premise, combined with a committed gonzo aesthetic of splorching, spraying, erupting blood, could result in jokey cult cinema-- somewhere between Riki-Oh and early Shaw Brothers (One-Armed Swordsman springs to mind)-- and that, honestly, would be enough. Fortunately, it's much more than that, and Lone Wolf and Cub, for all its excesses and absurdity, is a devastatingly elegant body of work (particularly when director Kenji Misumi is at the helm). Based on a comic book, it embodies much of what a comic book offers, and that includes graphic composition, graceful impossibilities, and psychological impressionism alongside all those surreal eruptions of belief-beggaring violence. The Samurai genre is often spoken of as a cultural analogue to the western world's Westerns, and while it's not always a clean comparison, it certainly does make a lot of sense to discuss these ultra-violent, anachronistically mythic, and surprisingly graceful pop reconstructions of the Samurai flick in relation to Leone's similar treatment of the Western genre.
It helps that the films are anchored by Wakayama, a troll-like goblin-man with the body of a small sumo wrestler and all the grace, reserve, and dignity of a beautiful god. With such a magnetic and quiet eye at the center of the storm, you scarcely dare laugh, even when Itto is slashing the tits off a carrot-throwing lady assassin, or striking a statuesque pose while his foe bazooka-sprays blood from his throat.
Contributing to the utter greatness of the series is the exquisite score, by Hideakira Sakurai. Like the films, it's all over the place, tonally. Barry-esque spy surf guitars and blaxploitation wah are thrust with inspiring confidence alongside spaghetti western weirdness, eerie psychedelic avant-garde soundscapes, giant pregnant silences, and whatever passes for "traditional" Japanese instrumentation. It's amazing. Today I'm sharing with you all the "Best of" Lone Wolf and Cub music, as compiled by La-La Land records (and now out of print). It's a good collection of themes from each of the six films, a real treat-- though I do wish I could find a complete collection of all the Lone Wolf and Cub scores, because La-La leaves out a lot of the best incidental stuff, which is where Sakurai gets the most abstract, atmospheric and weird. Sakurai deserves a dimension-x comp of this other stuff like Morricone got with Crime and Dissonance, if you ask me. But this will have to do for now.
Please enjoy, then check out the films. You will not regret your choice.
Is there a more enduring, satisfying example of this kind of private-press secret-genius LP? I submit that there may not be-- in terms of weirdo cult-rock, it's on a level of greatness with Ya Ho Wha's Penetration, and in terms of what we might call loner or outsider pop, it's practically unbeatable. Which is not to unduly claim it as "peerless," as it certainly nestles in with the likes of Michael Farneti, Donnie and Joe Emerson, The Kaplan Brothers, Bobb Trimble (if he weren't so sort of insufferable), etc. It's just that this one is the best, the most timeless, the most accomplished and beautiful.
Oh, I'm sure most of you are already hip to False Ego's incredible pleasures. It is a secret rather long since uncovered. But standing as we are in the icy foyer of this monstrous new year, trepidatious before the prospect of 365 new black and evil days and the untold countless horrors they promise to visit upon our naked and trembling animal bodies, I can scarcely think of a better comfort or superior rallying cry than the warm west coast wind that carries the synthesizer sound, sunny guitar, and boyish voice of Hare Krishna and affable mystic Eddie Callahan. Which is to say, if any of you out there haven't heard this, then I endeavor to change that fact-- and let's all enter 2013 with a sharp eye and happy ear on the False Ego.
I was going to keep extolling its virtues, but really what more can I say than: This album is basically perfect.
I was recommending The Violet Flame to a friend the other day. Naturally, I directed him to the source, the phenomenal Crystal Vibrations-- but when we got there the link for this particular treasure was long down. So I figured I'd resurrect it here for the benefit of all, and take the opportunity to direct all those still-unfamiliar toward the hallowed New Age hall of wonders that is Crystal Vibrations. Many priceless jewel-boxes (with live links) thrive there still.
Joel Andrews' The Violet Flame is a delight, and incredibly simple. Each side of the LP is fully given over to a single "side-long meandering" on solo harp. You cannot lose. From the liner notes:
"During the time of the winter solstice, 1976, Joel gathered with a
small group for a meditation to invoke, anchor and broadcast the
Transmutive Seventh Ray activity of the Violet Flame through the medium
of music. This is a result of that meditation and is a companion to the
first album released entitled Kuthumi."
"the devic and elemental kingdoms are at one, and work interdependently
on the horizontal grid of physical manifestation. therefore the vertical
process of personal individual transmutation becomes a part of the
process of planetary transformation, and through the symbol of the
cross, stands as an essential link in bridging the elemental, human, and
angelic kingdoms. this transmutative work, carried out from below by
conscious wielders of creative fire, when couple with the transformative
activities of those dispensers of cosmic force from on high,
illustrates the highest quality of co-creative effort in building a new
heaven and a new earth, and becomes a practical demonstration for the
vision of a new age. LET LIGHT AND LOVE AND POWER RESTORE THE PLAN ON
EARTH" THE VIOLET FLAME
"The life-affirming, surging spirit of these performances - with their
supple range of colors, rhythms, soaring melodies - is the essence of
that basic, visceral beauty that gives hope to lovers and
revolutionaries and to all those who believe in real life before death.
His music is an embodiment of perennial possibility that is made of
blood and flesh rather than vaporous dreams. Gato, in sum, is among the
the least abstract of musicians because he is so explosively,
specifically alive."- Nat Hentoff, liner notes for Bolivia
If you enjoyed Chapter One: Latin America, you'll certainly love this record. I think I love it even more-- indeed, it may be my favorite of Gato's albums, and the title track is among his very finest efforts. If you love Lonnie Liston Smith's first gorgeous Cosmic Echoes record (Astral Traveling), you'll want to hear this immediately (assuming you haven't already, the very idea of which may be a foolish notion on my part).
Flabbergasted Vibes of course has the post-to-read on this incredible LP, and the download-of-choice, recently re-upped. Go there today, and pump this passion into your spiritual ears like the liquid tropical sex-gold that it is. Follow the link below (and thank the fellow).
If the Flabbergast link isn't happening for you, a kind commenter has left an alternate mediafire link in the comments.
For readers only familiar with Mr. Barbieri through his molten work of romantic genius on the original soundtrack for Last Tango in Paris, the wonderful news is that this sly Argentinian cat has a phenomenal body of work at least comparable to, if not greater than in some cases, the 70's output of such other spiritual/fusion giants as Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Joe Henderson, or Don Cherry, to name a few.
If you are only familiar with his relatively successful commercial stabs at sexy Latin-disco-jazz, such as Caliente! or Tropico, then please be reassured that his prolific early/mid-70's output is another universe entirely. Not that those later records don't have a trashy appeal and some great sax sex solos.
But perhaps no LP from that golden period is as indispensable as Chapter One: Latin America (though Bolivia, with Lonnie Liston Smith, is perhaps my favorite-- but we'll get to that one some other day). The first and best of four Latin America albums, for these sessions Gato headed down to Brazil to record with a bevy of locals (or, as the album copy puts it: "an astonishing aggregation of Third World musicians") on varied instruments such as: quena, Indian harp, charango, anapa, erke, siku, erkencho, bombo Indio, cavaquinho, a large field of samba drums, pandeiro, quica, and agogo, once again to name a few.
The sound is overall quite in line with Gato's other work from this period as a bandleader or composer, with a "spiritual" openness and attention to atmospheric textures-- and a lot of the native instruments are employed more along those lines, indicating an exotic Latin cosmos bursting with incidental musical details all along the edges of Gato's forceful but always-sensual blowing (though I have to say, the flutes do a lot of heavy lifting, especially on "India"). The whole LP is surprisingly both tight and expansive, with uncommonly exquisite compositions (the opener, "Encuentros", and side two's "La China Leoncia Arreo la Correntinada Trajo Entre la Muchachada la Flor de la Juventud" especially) and arrangements (the absolute all-time great and album highlight, "India"). Of course, the saxophone work at center stage is beyond superb.
This is a giant masterpiece of 70's jazz. Indispensable.
I am a great lover of Duo Ouro Negro, but I'm not too proud to say that I am mostly ignorant of both the greater Angolan music scene of the 60's-70s, and its cultural and political context. I have only the most tertiary understanding of the fight for independence from Portugal, or the civil war that followed, and I know virtually nothing of the region's folklore and history.
But good lord, fellows, Angolan music can be so beautiful, so rich. You needn't be educated on the region to at least know that, and feel its power. It doesn't end with the sunny harmonies and deep pathos of Duo Ouro Negro, either. There is also (among others) the incomparable Lilly Tchiumba. Released, I think, in '75-- the same year Angola gained its independence (and the same year that saw the start of the civil war)-- this is a record of Angolan folk songs, sung in the Angolan language Kimbundu, in the most gorgeous, exuberantly sorrowful voice imaginable. Nearly every song is a rousing delight, yet nearly every song is deeply mournful-- full of mortality, suffering, and remembrance. The back cover of this record details the narrative of each song, and it's startlingly real-- dealing with stark subjects like death, memory and loss, and gender politics.
For "N'Zambi": A mother is torn between her reverence for God and her helplessness to save her sick child.
"N'Gongo Giami": A young man is dying and he does not know why. He asks his mother why this must be.
"Manazinha": A beautiful woman, however much she is dressed in luxury, is still the victim of colonialists.
Here's the actual back cover, do yourself a favor and read it (click to enlarge):
This is legitimately moving stuff, very sad obviously, but the marvel of it is how deeply beautiful, how ecstatic and transcendent, it is. You have to hear this. You have to. Her voice is a living river of mournfulness and human passion, the supporting chorus has the bottomless ancient sound of a ghost slave song, the guitars twinkle like a dancing wooden skeleton. Amazing.
The Onyeabor Library has been completed, largely due to the efforts and generosity of Feq'wah. I present to you now the fully-updated William Onyeabor Mega-Post.
If you don't have a thank-you in your heart for Feq'wah then get outta my house!
This fine Nigerian master has made many an appearance on the blogosphere, but in the interest of continuing to vigorously spread the very good word of Mr. William Onyeabor, I offer this post. To the best of my knowledge this represents nearly the complete Onyeabor discography, give or take some rarities and whispered-about myths. Please share any additional information you might have, dear reader.
Here is a brief biography of the man, lifted from the liner notes of the Nigeria 70 comp "The Definitive Story of 1970's Funky Lagos":
William Onyeabor studied cinematography in Russia for many years, returning to Nigeria in the mid-70s to start his own Wilfilms music label and to set up a music and film production studio. He recorded a number of hit songs in Nigeria during the 70s, the biggest of which was ‘Atomic Bomb’ in 1978. ‘Better Change Your Mind’ is taken from the same album, and, as well as slating the power-crazed nations of the world, the second half settles into a unique slice of stripped down spacey, lo-fi funk which is unlike any other Nigerian music being made at the time. William has now been crowned a High Chief in Enugu, where he lives today as a successful businessman working on government contracts and running his own flour mill.
Let's start with 1978's Atomic Bomb, his second record (which I believe I originally came across at the excellent blog Big Head Stevenson). Here we see the first example of the definitive Onyeabor sound: repetition, gorgeously simple electronics and synthesizers, a tradeoff between his own laconic vocals and unmistakable-yet-never-credited female backup singers, and uncomplicated, uplifting messages of positivity, world peace, or everyday emotions. This album contains one of his best songs (the perfect little funk-run "Atomic Bomb") and one of his most well-known ("Better Change Your Mind", featured on the World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's a Real Thing comp). There's not a bad song here, but another highlight worth mentioning is the charming ode to lifelong fidelity "I Need You All Life", a smile in song-form, bubbling over with gurgling synth sounds of the most optimistic variety and one of the most winning examples of his patented back-up vocals in action. Not to be missed.
ATOMIC BOMB (256)
Next in line we have Tomorrow (1979), which I believe I found at Feq'wah's now-defunct Fishtail Lion. All the same elements are in play here, which is for the best. In this case, more of the same means another little masterpiece- if anything, the beats and compositions are slightly stronger. One of my very very favorite songs of his is here, the fantastic "Fantastic Man", which finds his singers cooing to him "you loook soooooooooooo good.... fantastic man." This is an essential record.
TOMORROW (320)
1980 brought an LP entitled Body and Soul, the entirety of which was once difficult to find- until Feq'wah dragged it out into the light. It's a great one, really grand. Long, funky tracks with awesome sounds. BODY AND SOUL
Not long ago, Feq'wah graced the comments here one-half of this 1983 Onyeabor joint, Good Name. The title track is a 10-minute joyride of a jam, with a really full, rushing, sci-fi funk sound. Sometime later, another friend o' mine sent me the second half (which may have come from this interesting blog), with the request that I put it out there for all. The track is but another jewel in the Onyeabor sky. It's a glory and a pleasure: seven-and-a-half minutes of crunchy robobeats, wide synths, the classic lead/backup back-and-forth, and (somewhat unique in Onyeabor's catalogue) a great deal of heroic saxophone soloing. So very very fine. GOOD NAME
We jump ahead now to his final record, Anything You Sow (1985). In a lot of ways, it's my personal favorite. The sounds are a little fatter, a little goofier, and it's just a damn fun record. Fun as hell. Honestly, it's not all that different from any of the others, but the electronic factor is upped considerably. I guess it's extra-bubbly? With more handclaps, perhaps? Trust me, you're gonna need it, because it's amazing.
This excellent quality rip came, too, from the now sadly gone Fishtail Lion blog and the bosom of Feq'wah. ANYTHING YOU SOW
Crashes in Love is Onyeabor's 1977 debut. Very little electronics present here- in many ways it's not atypical Nigerian soul/funk- but the specific genius of Sir William is very much in evidence. Were this his sole release, it would likely still be hailed as a lost masterpiece of Afro-funk. As it is, it stands as a bit more of a minor effort in his canon- just not one to be overlooked. Its marvellous, low-key funk sound lays out a loose narrative of, as the cover explains, "a tragedy of how an African Princess rejects the love that money buys." Don't tell me you don't need to hear this now. It's groovy as a jeep on a dirt road, too.
This rip came from the womb of the great Music City- home to many other treasures and more than worthy of your gratitude and respect.
Apparently, there is another, more electronic, version of this record- can anyone confirm this? Has anyone heard it? CRASHES IN LOVE (320)
Now we check out the Onyeabor-produced 1979 N'Draman Blintch record, Cikamele, for Oyeabor's own label, Wilfilms Records. The jams are super, super awesome, funkier and nastier than anything on a proper Onyeabor joint, although Blintch's vocal style is far less intriguing than Sir William's. It used to bother me more, but this record has been growing on me more and more everyday.
Now we pick up a straggler, 1982's Hypertension, which is good but not a favorite of mine. There's a slightly undignified Caribbean flavor doesn't add much to his usual minimalist funk genius, pushing his typical goofiness a tad too far. It's definitely worth a listen, since he's always at the very least good.
Again, this is Feq'wah's rip.
HYPERTENSION
Aaaaaaand once again, Feq'wah has come up with some additional Onyeabor treasures.It started with this lone track from 1981's Great Lover, found over at Art Decade, called "Love is Blind". Thankfully, wonderfully, the Fish Tailed Lion himself has magically managed to scare up the full LP. It's not in the top five Onyeabor LPs, but it is good stuff, friends. This may be the final piece of the puzzle. Be very certain to thank Feq'wah- I'm sure it was much effort and expenditure to acquire these treasures, and he is most definitely Lion-Hearted to share his booty. GREAT LOVER
And if you have a line on anymore Onyeabor stuff- anything at all- I would love to know about it, and the world, I think, is ready for it. If you've got anything to share, let us spread William Onyeabor's love.
9/27/13: all links removed (except N'Draman Blintch) at the request of Luaka Bop records, in anticipation of their new comp reissue, Who Is William Onyeabor?, as well as a proposed reissuing of the entire Onyeabor catalog.
This is one of my favorite dub records. The rhythms are badass and crunchy, and most every track showcases just the nastiest organ or piano work. The sound of the organ is so right & good. It's a panic of goodness.
This is a simple record of dub instrumentals with relatively light effects and outrageously solid playing. There's not all that much I can say about it (except, it seems that calypso legend Mighty Sparrow turns in some drum work here). The organ sound just slays, though, making this an absolute essential. MACKA DUB
Anyone who gave a listen to Volume Two of my Black Art + Machine Gun Funk series has already heard two of the strongest tracks on this record, but I'm here today to push the whole slab. Because it's pretty damn good.
I think you can look at the fantastic cover art and know how good it is, although I guess I wouldn't have expected a 14-piece soul combo to sound this loose and reasonable. Large funk or soul groups can get pretty airtight, locking into huge swingin' grooves, losing all the looseness and grit that makes this kind of music so rich. But the Memphis-based Brothers Unlimited mostly avoid this problem, laying down Southern-soulful psychedelic funk-rock that's both tight and loose, deep with layers of production that take a lot of spontaneous turns and contain a lot of surprises. There are a lot of boys in this ensemble, but they aren't all just piling on the rhythm section with horns. They are up to tricks in there.
The "social consciousness" tracks are the strongest element here. They aren't particularly profound in their message, but they don't need to be. Like many groups of the era, these guys were just trying to tap into the zeitgeist of the early days of the Black Power 70's and that alone lends the work content and makes them interesting. Of course it wouldn't matter if the music didn't sound so hot n' fresh, but luckily it does. The opening track, "Who's for the Young", an earnest anthem of soulful black rock with nasty guitars, huge organs, and shades of the Isley Brothers, is the standout track- but it's no isolated incident. The blend of styles is successfully pulled off many more times on the record; in the hectoring "Hey Little Rich Boy", the rock-tinged southern soul of "Get Away", the cosmic, searching, mind-blowing "Life, Dreams, Death" (which almost sounds like a super-groovy Uriah Heep song or something), and a version of "Spoonful" dipped deep in psychedelic echo. Not every track is a winner-- "Got to Get Over" is the worst, bland to the point of dire-- but even some of the misses are interesting. A version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" is so inferior to Baby Huey's that it's hard to even hear, but it's still a fine version of a great song, and the album closer "What We Need Is Harmony" tries for another huge anthem and falls a bit short. Again, though, it's still pretty good.
The peaks of this record are sky high, making it extremely worthwhile, and I recommend it very highly to anyone who enjoyed Black Art + Machine Gun Funk or Purple Image, or anything else in the glorious intersection of funk&black rock. Get on it and let me know what you think. WHO'S FOR THE YOUNG (256)
If you haven't heard this massive little sliver of mind-blowing excellence-- recently posted at the wonderful spot Allegory of Allergies-- you should. Oh, how fine it is! Two spooky soul-funk joints crawling with exotic drum-machine boops, spiderweb guitar, and delicate trails of echo and mellotron sounds, followed by a melancholy left-field string-disco revelation. I will be playing this EP over and over again until it makes me nauseous. It is so good. It melts a man. DEEP INSIDE YOU
I did some looking around and I found another single from Mrs. Gloria: "Total Disaster". It's good stuff, but a bit more conventional. It's still a really nice soul single along the lines of the Supremes or Martha and the Vandellas, and it comes with some rougher edges, good strings, raga guitar, and a great use of hand drums.
I found it on Derek's Daily 45, and you will too (alright, his link is dead so I upped it here). TOTAL DISASTER
Thank the dudes who do these blogs!
UPDATE: A gentleman commenter by the name of Nick has left a link in the comments to an additional piece of the puzzle, an excellent track by Gloria's husband/producer/conductor of the Walter Whisenhunt Orchestra, Mr. Walter Whisenhunt. The track, "I'm Saluting You For Your Love", is more along the gently trippy lines of the work found on the Deep Inside You EP. It also bears a more than striking resemblance to the Marvin Gaye tune, "Ego Trippin'", which doesn't have to be a bad thing.
Check out the sounds and give a holler if you have a line on a download of this song or any other Gloria Ann Taylor or Walter Whisenhunt material.
It's 2012. May I venture into this unknowable new year with you, my friend?
Here's a quickie post to get back in the game. I'm still a man on the Holiday Ride so I don't have the kind of "blog time" at my disposal that I might like, but the sabbatical has come an end. Even Achewood is back-- so, so must I be.
To kick off this savage año nuevo with some cautious, skeletal optimism, I offer you Herman Chin Loy's Aquarius Dub. Thought of as one of the very first dub projects, it comes off as pretty tentative and bare bones, but its humble charms and bright-eyed sense of discovery are not to be ignored. "Heavy Duty" is an extremely cool cut, the whole thing has a low-key funk/Meters-y sensibility, and yes indeed there's a Carole King cover.
Sorry if some tracks are mislabeled, I'm not 100% sure if this is a problem on this rip (courtesy You & Me on a Jamboree).
So get it or don't. Just know that I am back and we are still in this awful old world together.
I promise some more exciting, unique flavors will issue forth from the mouth of this place, and soon, but for now I'm still gettin' back in the saddle.
Here is part two of my series, Black Art + Machine Gun Funk (Check out part one here). While some repeat offenders can be found here, I've taken pains to insure that this is more than a just retread of the first one- this is a mean batch, friends.
Thanks to Nicholab of Ghostcapital for the hot tip on Kool & Together. The cover photo for this one is by Danny Lyon, from this Documerica series.
In response to an anonymous request for Rogerio Duprat's 1970 KPM library LP Brazilian Suite, I present: Rogerio Duprat's 1970 KPM library LP Brazilian Suite. For me, this is one of those things you download, listen to distractedly once, and never again. I think I've been filing it in the part of my brain that's labelled "too much horns? or not- i don't know man worry about it later", so this was a nice opportunity to give it a second chance and a good listen. I like it. I think a lot of other people will probably like it more than I do. There's a delicate, exotic quality to a lot of the arrangements, making it a somewhat classic intersection of Tropicalia and Production music (of the more soundtrack-esque variety). I do think some of the horns are only so-so, but whatever. It's a good record, especially for fans of 70's Brazilian music.
This rip came from Loronix, a wonderful Brazilian music blog that has since sunk into the tar pits of inactivity, its download links lapsing into dust. So I offer here Loronix's 320 rip for resurrection, although I think I remember EXP ETC has a rip of this one too. I don't know if it's the same, or worse, or better. Or anything. BRAZILIAN SUITE (320)
Now that we're on this thread, though, let's move on to another 1970 KPM release, from none other than one of my personal favorite artists, the legendary Les Baxter. I don't have a lot of info to share about this release. In fact, it's a total mystery to me. I will say this: of Mr. Baxter's later work, this is a towering success; within the context of his entire career, this can still be considered numbered among the essentials. It's similar in tone to his soundtrack to the film Bora Bora (but more complex and interesting), with Baxter's classic Exotica tropes and production style (minus the huge orchestra, of course) meeting somewhat heavier beats and a "hipper" sound. While this successful blend of eras makes the record fairly unique, I have to say, if I wasn't listening carefully, I might easily mistake this for Golden-Age Baxter. It's kind of a masterpiece, guys, but I do have a habit of calling Les Baxter records masterpieces. After all, he is a fucking master. BUGALOO IN BRAZIL (320)
And just for good measure, you can zip on over to EXP ETC and grab his rip of a 1973 KPM LP from Alan Parker & John Cameron, Afro Rock. It's pretty damn good, too, and a lot of fun to hear. Some of it is sort of run-of-the-mill library/soundtrack funk, which I can take or leave since I don't sample beats, but it has its true moments of transcendence that aren't to be missed. Especially the track, "Heat Haze." I mean, it might not be Jungle Obsession, but what is?
Here's a compilation I put together dealing with the tuffer, leaner, meaner, and more experimental side of funk, drawing from the subgenre wells of psychedelic soul, black rock, black power music, 70's Afro-futurism and spiritual jazz, and what Archie Shepp suggested be termed, "Black Art Music". I've done this without incorporating any tracks from Funkadelic or Sly Stone, the best of whose works exemplify the feel I attempt to pursue here. Giant and genius as they are, including them in a compilation would feel silly and obvious (in that regard, I feel guilty for including Betty Davis, too- although she's not as well known or widely praised now as she deserves to be). So if you already have the first three Funkadelicalbums, and Sly (and the Family) Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On and Fresh (among others, hopefully), and you're looking for more experimental funk that fears not the murky darkness- that which is trippy without bearing flowers and unnecessary colors, psychedelic and angry- let this collection scratch yall's itch and lead you down nasty pathways to ruff new discoveries on your own personal funk hunt. Follow the links for the fuller story on these tracks- none of them are isolated incidents.
And for the sake of the soul, please download both parts!
Here's another quick post- gettin' us back on the funk hunt. I'd only previously heard Timmy Thomas' "Funky Me" on the Miami Sound comp from Soul Jazz, and this installment of drum-machine funk on the wonderful blog Office Naps (where you can find a little bit of good info on Mr. Thomas and a whole lot of great 45s). But the other day I grabbed a rip of the full-length, and it's a treat to say the least. Comprised mostly of a primitive drum machine and Thomas on a Hammond organ and fairly naked vocals, it's a stripped-down affair, but strikingly so. Minimalist funk, if ever there was such a thing. Sly Stone circa Riot Goin' On would definitely relate (though let me be clear: this is nowhere near that piece of work, which should be considered indispensable.) Highly recommended.
Continuing on this funk hunt- here's the sole release and 1970 debut of Cleveland super-heavy psych-funk outfit, Purple Image. A lot has been made about just how rock-oriented they are, working less within the more dominant (for black artists) soul idiom of the time, but that only serves to obscure just how funky this album is. Still, it's worth noting that at its heaviest moments, it's as heavy as Jimi Hendrix a la "Machine Gun" or The Stooges on Fun House. And like on those examples, even at the height of heaviness, it's not just heavy metal excess- it's hard and mean and direct, and still ultimately groove-based. Truly a Black Rock Beast, is Purple Image.
The highest highlight for me is the opener, "Living in the Ghetto", a rip-roaring series of ghetto tableau ("Mama's in the kitchen cookin' midnight supper!"), punctuated by utterly wicked electric guitar "Machine Gun"-isms. You might actually hear specific licks swiped from "Machine Gun", a worthy source to quote if ever there was one, and it enriches the track's dialogue between Black Music and Heavy Metal. (Come to think of it, I think The Stooges said they were cribbing "Machine Gun" when they wrote "Dirt" in this same year, to continue the Fun House comparisons.)
The other enormous highlight of the record is a monstrous version of Bob Craig's "Marching to a Different Drummer". A thrashing, relentless, fifteen-and-a-half minute onslaught that starts out as a funky singalong, then mutates into a psych-rock apocalypse, complete with a free-jazz saxophone to drive the guitars into chaos, and a crunchy harmonica infusion near the end.
Umiliani is a true Library King, and Continente Nero is one of my very favorite of his works. Full of urgent, tension-building strings, percussion, and the rush of adventure and discovery, this is a documentary in your head, somewhere between Cousteau and the Italian Mondo variety. Very thin and serious stuff. Almost spooky, like an expedition that lost a member to the fog.
I don't know the whole story behind this record, but it serves as a perfect companion piece to Continente Nero. The two share essentially the same sound, although something about this one feels more nebulous and ambient. The high points are the two versions of "Viaggio Nel Tempo", a composition which can also be found on Nero, by the name of "Preparativi"-- in all its forms, this is one of my favorite tracks.
This one is a change of pace from the previous two, with the serious explorer, heart of darkness stuff. Here we have total paradise music, 70's exploitation-documentary Exotica with Cinecitta-style female vocals. It's really exquisite. Don't pass this up, fools. You'll need this for when you're done exploring and you need to relax with a Colada and an island gal, hopefully while doing some kind of floating. LE ISOLE DELL'AMORE (The Island of Love)
Today we're gonna do three dub jubs with gun-centric cover art. For the visual flavor of it all.
Starting with Techniques All-Stars' .357 Magnum Dub: this is straight-up-and-down street tuff roots instrumentals. Pretty simple formula, but highly successful. Despite the handle, there's not a ton of crazy "techniques" going on here- "Fashion Dub" does get sort of boopy and squiggly, "Techniques Special" has some cool harmonica, and "Weary Dub" pairs laser blasters with soul saxophone, but on the whole it's a straightforward affair with above-average, solid-and-cool execution. Check it out. VBR rip.
This one from Inner Circle (with the Fatman Riddim Section for the band) is another tuff mother. Of course it's tuff-- look at the fuckin' cover. Opening with a pissed-off sounding rip on guitar, the whole thing stomps around with heavy heavy rhythms, fat echo, and a really bad-ass piano/organ sound.
I guess I wouldn't describe this record as being on the same level of painkiller as a gunshot to the face, but it's certainly bad as hell and a more than worthy addition to your dub library. (Sorry I couldn't pop up another soundcloud sample, please just trust me as you usually might.) 192 rip.
You wanna talk tuff, plus "special techniques"? Time to get down to Twinkle Town. The Twinkle Brothers' (which by this point was just Norman Grant of the original Twinkle Bros, gone solo in the UK) Dub Massacre is a potent mix of punky gangsta, heavy hardness and non-stop, bonkers effects. It's definitely got an international assassin flavor, classy and sneaky, but there's also theremin, warm phases, and huge echo, making this one almost too trippy to cruise to. Almost: so get to cruisin' inna murder style, fellows. 192.
