The Best Of Blaxploitation - Disc Three

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Global TV
Genre: Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk

The third and final disc in the series, best of Blaxploition, features several great instrumental tracks form the likes of Pee Wee Ellis, Ike and Tina Turner covering a Stevie Wonder tune and a great live track from Curtis Mayfield. I hope you have enjoyed this collection of cinematic soul and funk classics as much as I do. For more great funk and soul hits like these, check out Blaxploitation Pride. Not only does this blog contain an exhaustive collection of Blaxploitation soundtracks, but also a groovy companion radio station on Last.FM. I highly recommend checking it out, dig?

Ain't nothin' going on but a funky song...

1 The Last Poets - When The Revolution Comes
2 Gil Scott-Heron with Brian Jackson - The Bottle
3 Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up (live)
4 Sir Joe Quaterman & Free Soul - (I've Got) So Much Trouble On My Mind
5 The Whatnauts - Why Can't People Be Colors Too?
6 Ripple - A Funky Song
7 Mickey Murray - Mama's Got The Wagon
8 Alvin Cash - Doin' The Ali Shuffle
9 Sir Joe Quaterman & Free Soul - Give Me Back My Freedom
10 Ike & Tina Turner - Livin' For The City
11 Ohio Players - Cold, Cold World
12 Pee Wee Ellis - That Thang
13 Moody Scott - (We Gotta) Bust Out Of The Ghetto
14 Backyard Heavies - Soul Junction
15 Leroy Hutson - Cool Out


Download: The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc Three
Download size: 74 MB (zip file)

The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc Two

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Global TV
Genre: Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk

As promised, here is disc two of the best of Blaxploitation set.


Track List:
1. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
2. My People... Hold On - Eddie Kendricks
3. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
4. Hercules - Aaron Neville
5. Bra - Cymande
6. Super People - The Notations
7. Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself Again - Maceo & All the King's Men
8. Brother on the Run - Johnny Pate
9. Concrete Reservation - Syl Johnson
10. It's a Cryin' Shame - The Ohio Players
11. Neighbour! Get Your Own - The Rimshots
12. (I Remember) Mr. Banks - Maceo & All the King's Men
13. Get Off - Ripple
14. Funky Miracle - The Meters
15. Yes We Can Can - Lee Dorsey

Download: The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc Two
Download size: 78 MB (zip file)

The Best Of Blaxploitation - Disc One

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Global TV
Genre: Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk

Blaxploitation is a film genre that began in the 1970s with films like "Shaft" and "Superfly" that featured a primarily black cast, and featured funk and soul soundtracks. Huge afros, drug dealers, pimps and hookers, dirty double-crossers, street fighters, guns and fast cars fueled the action of these magnificent crime classsics. This is only volume one of this three CD set. I will follow up with the other two volumes shortly.

Track List:
1. Boss - James Brown
2. Brothers on the Slide - Cymande
3. Jungle Boogie - Kool & the Gang
4. "T" Plays It Cool - Marvin Gaye
5. Freddie's Dead - Curtis Mayfield
6. Different Strokes - Syl Johnson
7. Sport - Lightnin' Rod
8. It's a Trip - The Last Poets
9. World We Live In - McKinley Jackson, The Politicians
10. Funky Mule - Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm,
11. I Gotcha - Joe Tex
12. Chocolate City - Mavis Staples
13. Moonwalk - Pee Wee Ellis
14. Tippi Toes - The Meters
15. Back Home - Brian Jackson, Gil Scott-Heron

Download: The Best of Blaxploitation - Disc One
Download size: 70 MB(zip file)

TheLastRipper - last.fm Audio Ripper

I discovered this very useful tool via lifehacker It's called TheLastRipper and basically what it does is connect to your last.fm account, and rip the streams and album art to the folder of your choice. That was enough to convince me, however this little tool is actually capable of much more than just that. You can find the full list of features below. Of course the legality of this tool is in question, which is actually acknowledge by the following disclaimer on their homepage: "Please be aware that recordings of radio streams, may NOT be legal, we recommend that you investegate your local laws, before using TheLastRipper." It will be interesting to see how long this lasts. In the meantime though, I'm sure that all you last.fm aficionados will put this tool to good use. It has proven to be a valuable tool in exploring various tags and genres on last.fm. I simply allow it to run and rip tracks overnight, and then easily explore a wide selection of songs from them the next day, while simply deleting the songs that I do not wish to keep.

Features:
Recording streams to mp3's
Organize mp3s in folders: Artist/Album/Track/
Downloads coverart
Generates playlist in M3U, SMIL, PLS
Appends ID3v2 tags
Improved clipping of songs
International characters
Support for http proxies
General exception handling dialog

Homepage: http://www.thelastripper.com
Download: http://www.thelastripper.com/download.html
File Size: 266kb

Happy Birthday - Digital Meltd0wn Turns 2

Two years ago I started this blog with no specific goal in mind other than to share music that is all too often criminally overlooked. Since that time I have been fortunate enough to share hundreds of albums here, met some amazing people, been introduced to countless artists in turn, and have had over 350,000 visitors from around the globe grace these pages. After watching many amazing blogs come and go during the last two years, I'm proud to be able to say that not only is DM still here, but it's going stronger than ever. I would like to thank all of you who visit this blog frequently, especially those of you who are considerate enough to leave comments. I would also like to thank those of you who have worked as contributors here: Psyche Zenobia, Ally, Fill, and Psycho Cat. All of you helped tremendously when I needed it the most, and your contributions here were a breath of fresh air. I would also like to thank my girlfriend, Rhiannon, for being understanding enough to put up with my obsession for music and sharing it with others. Your support and encouragement means more to me than you realize. Thank you for all the support and kind words over the last two years. Here's to many more. Cheers!

The Tape-Beatles - The Grand Delusion

I actually discovered the Tape-Beatles via Psycho Cat's last.fm profile. Due to the limited number of plays, I thought it was safe to assume that he hadn't had a chance to listen to a full album by them yet, so I hope this comes as a surprise to you Psycho. I was also surprised to discover that the Tape-Beatles, under the moniker of Public Works, sampled heavily from an obscure album titled the Conet Project, that I recently discovered thanks to Allywonderland (a former guest-blogger here). It's a small world after all...

The Tape-beatles (also known as Public Works) are a multi-media group from Iowa City that formed in December 1986. Don't let the name fool you though. This group has more in common with Negativland than the fab four. Its members include Lloyd Dunn, John Heck, Ralph Johnson and Paul Neff. Beginning with analog tape recorders, and later expanding to include digital technology and film media, the group has used collage techniques to create works that challenge the notion of intellectual property. Their works make extensive use of materials appropriated from various sources through a process they call "Plagiarism®". The Tape-beatles' body of work consists mainly of music and audio art recordings, 'expanded' and 'performed' cinema performances, videos, printed publications, as well as works in other media. They produce and release work under an umbrella organization called Public Works Productions.

In 1993 the Tape-Beatles released their third album, The Grand Delusion, still hailed as their masterpiece by those familiar with the entirety of their work. The Grand Delusion is a bitter mediation on the U.S. Persian Gulf War and the historical context that created it. It uses voice samples from a wide variety of sources, including speeches from George H. W. Bush, television news, and the occasional right-wing religious zealot. These voice samples are accompanied by collages of sampled sounds and music, which generate an overall atmosphere of uncertainty and unease. In addition to their musical evolution during this time, the group refined their presentation approach as well, distilling it down to just three 16mm projectors, used in a configuration the group named 'Polyvision', in honor of Abel Gance's pioneering movie techniques of the 1920s

Year of Release: 1993
Label: Staalplaat
Genre: Sound Collage, Plunderphonics, Experimental
Bitrate: 160kbps

Track List:
1. The American Adventure
2. Primary Delusion
3. America Is Confident
4. Lament
5. Frog Story
6. Mind Problems
7. Love
8. Home Problems
9. Behold A Republic
10. Grave Implications
11. Great Difficulties
12. Chilling
13. You Have To Participate
14. Candidate
15. Flowers For Dead Heroes
16. Thus
17. Back To The Start
18. More Difficulties
19. The Difference
20. Mother
21. Help

Download: The Tape-Beatles - The Grand Delusion
Download Size: 68MB

Vàli - Forlatt

Year of Release: 2004
Label: Foreshadow Productions
Genre: NeoFolk

This terrific piece of neofolk beauty was recently reviewed by the Rock Blogger. I have been in love with this album for some time and was very happy to see it mentioned. The rock blogger is an artist and musician also known as Damien Van Vroenhoven. I've been reading his Blog for the past few weeks, and Mr. Vroenhoven has a real way with words and produces the types of reviews that make me really envious of his writing skills and a bit disappointed in my own. I urge you to check out it out.

Here is a brief snippet of the Rock Blogger's review of Vali's "Forlatt" album..."So what makes this masterpiece such a standout? Maybe its own reluctance to being a masterpiece is key, as its soothing compositions move with calm patience, letting each arpeggio descend and cello ache organically. Nothing about this album can be called pretentious, overwrought or overwhelming, its performances hold a power that is emotionally resonant and deeply comforting."

Track List:
1. Vali - Naar Vinden Graater
2. Vali - Dypt Inne I Skogen
3. Vali - Et Ensomt Minne
4. Vali - Nordlysets Dans
5. Vali - Lengsel
6. Vali - Sorg
7. Vali - Skumringens Omfang
8. Vali - Her Ute I Moerkret
9. Vali - Taake
10. Vali - Doedens Evige Kall

Download: Vali - Forlatt
Download size: 45 MB zip file

the Fuzztones - Braindrops

"The first time was finding out what I'm all about... had to twist you're arm...third times a charm"
Year of Release: 1991
Label: Music Maniac Records
Genre: Psychedelic Rock

Braindrops is the third album by the psychedelic phenomenon, the Fuzztones. The group sets the tone for this underrated release with the upbeat "Third Time's A Charm" and continue to rock you through to the end. Believe it or not, Rudi Protrudi and a new line-up of band members in 1991 somehow managed to pull of a third album that was surprisingly good! Their version of Love's classic "7 and 7 is" is outstanding. If you liked the previous acid-drenched, psychedelic madness that is the Fuzztones, I would suggest giving this a spin. It's all there...tambourines, 60s keyboard wizardry and that psyche/surf/garage fuzz that you've come to expect. It's no "Lysergic Emanations", but then what is?
Let me know what you think.

Download: the Fuzztones - Braindrops
Download size: 55 MB zip file

The Bells Shall Sound Forever

Year of Release: 2003
Label: Sweet Farewell
Genre: Apocalyptic Folk, Compilation

TThe Bells Shall Sound Forever is a wonderful tribute to the godfathers of apocalyptic folk, Current 93. Fifteen bands contribute deeply moving renditions of some of your favorite songs on this incredible collection. Their is no attempt to merely imitate the originals here. David Tibet's masterful prose shines throughout, while retaining the individual band's styles. With such strong writing, I suppose the work of covering a song isn't nearly as hard. I didn't really expect to like this collection of covers of my favorite band, but I must say this is a really well put together effort and I highly recommend it to fans and newcomers alike. The sound quality is amazing. Below are the lyrics to "Soft Black Stars", just one of the sadly romantic tunes contained within. Enjoy.

Little children snuggle under soft black stars
And if you look into their eyes soft black stars
Deliver them from the book and the letter and the word
And let them read the silence bathed in soft black stars
Let them trace the raindrops under soft black stars
Let them follow whispers and scare away the night
Let them kiss the featherbreath of soft black stars
And let them ride their horses licked by the wind and the snow
And tip-toe into twilight where we all one day will go
Caressed with tenderness and with no fear at all
Their faces shining river gold brushed by soft black stars
And angels' wings shall soothe their cares
And all the birds shall sing at dawn
Blessed and wet with joy
You and i will meet one day
Under the night sky lit by soft black stars

Track List:
1 Sonne - Hagal The Death Of The Corn (4:31)
2 Paradis - Calling For Vanished Faces I (2:40)
3 Dorien Campbell - A Sadness Song (3:56)
4 Vequinox - Earth Covers Earth (4:28)
5 Engelsstaub - Happy Birthday Pigface Christus (3:22)
6 Cawatana - A Song For Douglas After He's Dead (4:45)
7 Storm Of Capricorn - Crowleymass (4:25)
8 Der Feuerkreiner - Soft Black Stars (4:20)
9 Well Of Sadness - The Dogun (4:06)
10 Pancreatic Aardvarks - Judas As Black Moth (4:39)
11 Leisur Hive - Immortal Bird (4:33)
12 Lisa Toulouse - Christ And The Pale Queens (Mushroom Clouds Vision) (7:17)
13 Weihan - All The Pretty Little Horses (2:53)
14 Exit - The Blue Gates Of Death (5:43)
15 Decadence - Ach Golgota (Es Ist Vollbracht) (4:14)

Download: The Bells Shall Sound Forever
Download size: 65 MB

Various Artists - Attack of the One-Man Bands

Attack of the One-Man Bands is exactly that, 58 different one-man bands spread over two discs of raw, crude, and fascinatingly brilliant blasts of sonic madness. So unhinged that it's probably a serious health risk, this set delivers cut after cut of glorious bedlam with all the subtlety of an amplified jackhammer set loose in a glass house. Each of these one-man bands is currently active, and while most are decidedly lo-fi, even the ones who wandered into real studios seem to treat them like giant boom boxes. While a good deal of what is here is vicious punk rockabilly like Phillip Roebuck's crude, spare, and dangerously kinetic "Jackass Blues" or Pete Yorko & the One Man Music Band's "Like Me" assault, some of it, like Royer's One Man Band's version of the fiddle classic "Train on the Island" or 1Man Banjo's deconstruction of "Mole in the Ground" (simply called "Mole" here), is seriously bent and skewed bluegrass mountain music. Trainwreck Washington's banjo piece called "Walked All Night" sounds like an old wax cylinder field recording, and feels like it was recorded a hundred years ago. Uncle Butcher's "No Judge, No Trial" is as raw and unhinged as they come. Then there's the Amazing Elephant Man's primal "Can't Go Outside," which is literally a child's frustrated rant given rhythm and electricity. Scary, unsettling, fascinating, delightful, vital, urgent and insistent, these 58 tracks are somehow oddly comforting despite all their abrasiveness.

Year of Release: 2007
Label: Rock N Roll Purgatory
Genre: Punk, Blues, Bluegrass
Bitrate: 128kbps

Track List:
1. I Know I'm Gonna Die Tonight (But I Don't Care) - Foul, Al
2. Been Tellin' Lies - Bloodshot Bill
3. Jackass Blues - Roebuck, Phillip
4. Milwaukee Blues - Tussing, Rollie
5. If You Love Me - Lonesome Joseph
6. You Can't Fool Me [Live] - Slim Sandy
7. Walkin' and A-Steppin' in the Fire - King Louie
8. Howlin' - "Haunted" George
9. Stay out and Down - Sachtrash
10. Troublin' Time - Fredovitch One Man Band
11. Mole - 1Man Banjo
12. I Fuckin' Suck (In G Maj.) - Toothless George
13. Train on the Island - Royer's One Man Band
14. Long Gone, Dead and Done - Dead Elvis & The One Man Grave
15. Wild Party - Mr. Bonz One Man Band
16. Introducing Chuck Violence - Chuck Violence
17. Lust - Dennis Hopper Choppers
18. Rhythm & Soul - Riddlebarger, Bram & His Lonesome Band
19. Walked All Night - Trainwreck Washington
20. Preacher's Daughter - Ghostwriter
21. Que Viva La Chava - Strange, Esmerelda
22. Lying in State - Marinelli, J.
23. Too Much Bad in My Blood (To Be Good) - Big One Man Band
24. When You're Far Away - Long Boy Larsen
25. I'm Buried Alive - Mississippi Grover
26. Drinking Every Night - Twang Tango
27. Purgatory Rock - Slow Poisoner
28. Kyleeee - Stringybark McDowell
29. Hang On - BBQ
30. Nothing to Do - Novak, Jeffrey
31. Snake Boy Lives in the Mississippi - El Paso Hot Button
32. Abscond - Jensen, Skip & His Shakin' Feet
33. Fuck Me I'm Poor - Guitar Fucker
34. Bloddy Fucking Cunt - Reverend Beat-Man
35. Rock N' Roll Party with the One Man Band - Schooley, John
36. You Got to Love - Fabulous Go-Go Boy From Alabama
37. I Don't Give a Fuck - King Automatic
38. Lo Ride - Ottoboy The One Man Trash Band
39. The Lord Told Me You Got Fat - Brennan's, Reverend J.
40. Revenge - Feeling Of Love
41. Music for the Asses - Urban Junior
42. Bad Anna - Limbs
43. No Judge, No Trial - Uncle Butcher
44. Angry Heart - Junior Disorder
45. Black Bowtie - Sheriff Perkins
46. Plow You Under - Biram, Scott H.
47. Who's Gonna Rub Me? - Rod, Margaret Doll
48. You're Wrong - Almighty Do Me A Favor
49. Business - Lone Bird
50. Like Me - Yorko, Pete & The One Man Music Band
51. Little Darling - Lowebow, Johnny
52. Hellfire Down - Reverend Deadeye
53. Alien Novelty Song - Rocket Craig
54. Laser Beams - Mosquito Bandito
55. Guitarra Míssil - O Lendario Chucrobillyman
56. Can't Go Outside - Amazing Elephant Man
57. So Alone - One Hand Man
58. Do Your Own Thing - Cancer, Johnny

Download: Attack of the One-Man Bands (CD1) (69MB)
Download: Attack of the One-Man Bands (CD2) (69MB)

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas - Audiobook

Year of Release: 2005
Label: Recorded Books
Genre: Audiobook, Gonzo Journalism


Today being "patriot day" here in the states and the anniversary of the fall of the twin towers, I thought I might take a brief pause from the music to share with you a bit of American literature. This, the audiobook version of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream", by the late Hunter S. Thompson is an amazing listen. If you loved the book, film or even if *gasp* you are unfamiliar with Thompson's work, I highly recommend this recording. It is done in a "seeing ear" theater style, in which sound effects accompany the narrative to better immerse you in the story.
But our trip was different. It was a gross, physical salute to the fantastic possibilities of life in this country - but only for those with true grit
"Giant bats and blotter acid,
cocaine and bright lights:
the late Gonzo journalist
left behind an incredible
chronicle of drug-soaked,
addle-brained,
rollicking good times.
This tale of a long
weekend road trip is
considered one of the
strangest journeys ever taken
in American pop culture..." -AudioFile


Download: Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas
Download size: 84 MB zip

Black Flag - Damaged

Year of Release: 1981
Label: SST
Genre: Hardcore

1. Rise Above
2. Spray Paint
3. Six Pack
4. What I See
5. TV Party
6. Thirsty and Miserable
7. Police Story
8. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
9. Depression
10. Room 13
11. Damaged II
12. No More
13. Padded Cell
14. Life of Pain
15. Damaged I

While my previous post, "Just West Coast", was a collection of microtonal compositions performed on guitar and harp, This west coast harcore band also made interesting use of microtonal intervals and odd tempo changes. Greg Ginn, the guitarist and only constant in the band throughout the years, was a fan of freeform jazz and made heavy use of microtonal structures in his guitar solos. This, their debut studio album, was simply astounding. The raw, heavy, garage sound pumped out by the band, accompanied by Henry Rollins howling vocal assault cut straight to the bone. Essentially, this seems an album of protest songs aimed at the lazy, disaffected youth of the day...songs about misery, pain, desperation and self-destruction. The band toured relentlessly during the eighties, put out several independently released albums and inspiring local bands to never give up. There influence seems to continually spread. I have asked myself, over the years, why Black Flag? What does it mean to fly a black flag? I believe the following quote sums it up nicely.

"Why is our flag black? Black is a shade of negation. The black flag is the negation of all flags. It is a negation of nationhood which puts the human race against itself and denies the unity of all humankind. Black is a mood of anger and outrage at all the hideous crimes against humanity perpetrated in the name of allegiance to one state or another. It is anger and outrage at the insult to human intelligence implied in the pretenses, hypocrisies, and cheap chicaneries of governments.

Black is also a color of mourning; the black flag which cancels out the nation also mourns its victims the countless millions murdered in wars, external and internal, to the greater glory and stability of some bloody state. It mourns for those whose labo r is robbed (taxed) to pay for the slaughter and oppression of other human beings. It mourns not only the death of the body but the crippling of the spirit under authoritarian and hierarchic systems; it mourns the millions of brain cells blacked out with never a chance to light up the world. It is a color of inconsolable grief.

But black is also beautiful. It is a color of determination, of resolve, of strength, a color by which all others are clarified and defined. Black is the mysterious surrounding of germination, of fertility, the breeding ground of new life which always evolves, renews, refreshes, and reproduces itself in darkness. The seed hidden in the earth, the strange journey of the sperm, the secret growth of the embryo in the womb all these the blackness surrounds and protects.

So black is negation, is anger, is outrage, is mourning, is beauty, is hope, is the fostering and sheltering of new forms of human life and relationship on and with this earth. The black flag means all these things. We are proud to carry it, sorry we hav e to, and look forward to the day when such a symbol will no longer be necessary."
~Howard Ehrlich

Download: Black Flag - Damaged
Download size: 31 MB zip file

Blog News - The Era of Psycho Cat Is Upon Us

I would like to apologize for my recent lack of activity. As some of you already know, I recently started a new job, and I have had to adjust to the change. The long hours I have been putting in had taken a toll on me; I was very ill and I also needed to catch up on some much needed sleep. I would like to thank Psycho Cat for stepping up and keeping the blog rolling. I feel guilty for not making a proper post concerning the roll he will be playing here before now, but I suppose a delayed message is better than none at all.

I started this blog almost two years ago to the day, and during that time I have been the only regular contributor to this blog. I have kept an eye out for a regular contributor for a long time now, and I finally found the right person for the job. I met Psycho Cat on the Digital Meltd0wn social network, where he has been a major contributor from the start. Fortunately for us all he accepted my invitation to become a regular contributor here. I'm sure that you all will be delighted with the music he will be sharing here in the future. I can assure you that his musical taste is diverse and unquestionably good, and his presence here will make Digital Meltd0wn better than I could ever make it on my own.

Thank you Psycho Cat for accepting my invitation to be a permanent part of Digital Meltd0wn. It truly means a lot to me, and I look forward to working with you in the future.

The Electric Moog Orchestra - Music From Star Wars

One of the visitors here requested the album 'Music From Close Encounters of the Third Kind', which I was able to find and post here. This would be my introduction to the Electric Moog Orchestra, and as a fan of early electronic moog synthesizer, it was a pleasant discovery indeed. While doing research on the group, I was excited to learn that they had also released other albums in the same vein. That excitement reached a peak when I discovered that they had released 'Music From Star Wars', which happens to be one of my favorite movies. Up until this point I was only able to find a couple of mp3 files from the ablum, which only wet my appetite for more. After searching high and low I finally managed to get my hands on this little gem.

I'm sure that you are all familiar with the original music from Star Wars, written and conducted by the legendary John Williams. The original songs were very powerful and brass-heavy. In contrast, these songs tend to be more erratic by nature. The songs usually mirror the original at the start, but at times they trail off into a more loosely orchestrated and abstract sound. The moog synthesizer obviously contributes to the more 'spaced out' sound, and while it isn't as complimentary on this album as it was on Music From Close Encounters, it certainly doesn't detract from the overall concept.

The low point of this album for me would have to be the 'Imperial Attack' track. I love the moog synthesizer, but I feel that it just isn't capable of creating that feeling of impending doom the way brass instruments can. However, the moog really shines on 'Cantina Band', which was easily my favorite track on this album. If you're a fan of either Star Wars, or early synthesizer music, then do yourself a favor and download this.

Year of Release: 1977
Label: Musicor Records
Genre: Electronic, Experimental
Bitrate: 256kbps

Track List:
1. Main Title
2. Princess Leia's Theme
3. Imperial Attack
4. Ben's Death and Tie Fighter Attack
5. Cantina Band
6. The Throne Room and End Titles

Download: The Electric Moog Orchestra - Music From Star Wars
Download Size: 42MB

Just West Coast

Year of Release: 1993
Label: Bridge
Genre: Classical, 20th century

1. Suite No. 2: 1. Jahla - John Schneider/Amy Shulman/Gene Sterling
2. Suite No. 2: 2. Waltz For Evelyn Hinrichsen - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
3. Suite No. 2: 3. Therenody - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
4. Suite No. 2: 4. Son in Ishartum - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
5. Suite No. 2: 5. Beverly's Troubadour Piece - John Schneider/Amy Shulman/Gene Sterling
6. Sarabande - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
7. Two Studies On Ancient Greek Scales: Study on Olympos' Pentatonic - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
8. Two Studies On Ancient Greek Scales: Study on Archytas' Enharmonic - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
9. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 1. Today I Am A Man - John Schneider
10. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 2. Gentlemen - John Schneider
11. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 3. Considered Pretty - John Schneider
12. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 4. A Very Good Idea - John Schneider
13. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 5. Possible Rides - John Schneider
14. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 6. Jesus Was God In The Flesh - John Schneider
15. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 7. You Lucky Women - John Schneider
16. 8 Hitchhikers' Inscription: 8. Why In Hell Did You Come? - John Schneider
17. Dream - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
18. In A Landscape - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
19. Six Sonatas: 1. Moderato - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
20. Six Sonatas: 2. Allegro - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
21. Six Sonatas: 3. Moderato - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
22. Six Sonatas: 4. Allegro - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
23. Six Sonatas: 5. Moderato - John Schneider/Amy Shulman
24. Six Sonatas: 6. Allegro - John Schneider/Amy Shulman

Just West Coast is a beautiful collection of microtonal compositions by John Cage, Lou Harrison, Harry Partch, La Monte Young. The performers being the classical guitarist John Schneider, Amy Schulman on the harp, Gene Sterling and the Just Strings Orchestra. While conventional western music relies on equally spaced semitones (the smallest musical interval AKA a half step), microtonal music uses much smaller intervals. Microtonal music does not rely on a system of 12 equal intervals to the octave or tradititonal tunings of the instruments. The tones produced together by the guitar and harp (with the occasional percussion) are so pure and straightforward. The simplicity of this music is decieveing, as it is elaborately constructed and branches off into territories that typical western listeners are unfamiliar with. Tracks 9-16, the hitchhikers' inscription, is a spoken word piece read over soft music that seems oddly out of place on this collection. Most of the songs drift and weave their way around oddly tuned melodies with the occasional bit of percussion. Great music for inspiration or daydreaming, here. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of microtonal music and look forward to discovering more. If anyone has further recommendations, please leave them in the comments.



Download: Just West Coast
Download size: 56 MB zip file

VA - Chop Suey Rock Vol. 2 More Songs About the Orient

Get out your chopsticks, it's time for a second helping of tasty, orient-inspired rock! If you liked the first installment of Chop Suey rock, then you will love this one also. It's fun, fun, fun! Twangy guitars, banging gongs and screamin' Jay Hawkins saxophones will have you howling, "I'm turning Japanese!"

Year of Release: unknown
Label: Hot And Sour Records
Genre: Rock
Style: Grindhouse

Track List:
CD 1:
1. Rodney and the Blazers - Oriental Nightmare
2. Billy Joyce Combo - Twistin' In Hong Kong
3. Eddie Baxter - Fortune Cookie - Pt. 1
4. The Dazzlers - Clazy
5. Johnny and the Blue Jays - Japanese Rock
6. The Quarter Notes - Suki Yaki Rock!
7. Eddie Artwood and the Goodies - Hot Saki

CD 2
1. Hy Tones - Chinese Boogie
2. Screamin' Jay Hawkins - Hong Kong
3. The Tabbys - Hong Kong Baby
4. The Torkays - Karate
5. The Sounds - Charlie Chan
6. The Four Pharaohs - China Girl
7. Nitecaps - Bamboo Rock n Roll


Download: Chop Suey Rock 2
Download size: 43 MB (zip file)