David Bowie - Images 1966-1967

As promised, something to really sink your teeth into...

I thought everything of Bowie's was readily available in various formats. Had I known this ‘Bonus Pak™ 2 Record Set” of David Bowie Images 1966-1967 was out of print, I would have posted it before now. I was a fan of earlier Bowie, probably from Space Oddity (1969) through Low (1977).

I have read various articles stating that Images is for Bowie purists or completists, but I don’t necessarily agree. Although this material precedes Space Oddity by several years & is acoustic, a capella, & highly theatrical in a less Ziggy/Thin White Duke, more traditional vein, there are songs on this album that are superb. Phenomenal Bowie tunes abound: “Love You Till Tuesday”; “When I Live a Dream”; “London Boys”; but there are other gems not so commonly known: “Gospel According to Tony Day”; “We Are Hungry Men”; “She’s Got My Medals” “In the Heat of the Morning”; all are right up there with Bowie’s best.

This was released on cd in Australia under the title Rock Reflections & is no longer in print. Copies of this go for $40 - $200 or more used on the interweb.

If you aren’t familiar with these tunes, give it a go. It’s well worth the download time & hard-drive space. Essential Bowie.

Year of Release: 1973
Label: London BP 628/9
Genre: Acoustic rock

Tracklist:
BP 628
Side One
Rubber Band
Maid of Bond Street
Sell Me a Coat
Love You Till Tuesday
There is a Happy Land

Side Two
The Laughing Gnome
Gospel According to Tony Day
Did You Ever Have a Dream
Uncle Arthur
We Are Hungry Men
When I Live My Dream

BP 629
Side Three
Join the Gang
Little Bombadier
Come & Buy My Toys
Silly Boy Blue
She’s Got My Medals

Side Four
Please Mr. Gravedigger
London Boys
Karma Man
Let Me Sleep Beside You
In the Heat of the Morning

Download: David Bowie - Images 1966-1967
Download Size: 135.246MB (ripped from much loved vinyl at 320Kbps)

Three for Thursday

Just three short ones today. I’ve been busy as hell as of late, but I know Brother Z is in transition, as they say, so I’ll try my best to carry on with some tasty musick. A change of pace from the last post. Will come up with something a bit beefier this weekend. Here are: a 12“ single; a so-called 12“ ep; & a real 12“ ep.

Cabaret Voltaire - James Brown b/w Bad Self(Part One) 12“ single

Cabaret Voltaire began in 1973 in Sheffield, England. They worked mostly with noise manipulation & processing. They were included with bands such as Throbbing Gristle at the time. Originally a three-piece with Richard H. Kirk (guitar & synthesizer), Stephen Mallinder (vocals & bass), & Christopher Watkins (keyboards & sampler). By 1984 when this single was released, Christopher Watkins had left the band to form The Hafler Trio with Andrew M. McKenzie & Cabaret Voltaire was moving toward a more commercial, rhythm-conscious dance oriented sound. The remixes of tracks from CV’s Micro-Phonies on this single are highly recommended.

On this recording, Cabaret Voltaire was: Richard H. Kirk & Stephen Mallinder along with Roger Quail (drums); Mark Tattersall (percussion); & Eric Random (tablas).

Year of Release: 1984
Label: Some Bizarre/Virgin CVS 4 12
Genre: Electro-dance

Tracklist:

Side 1 - James Brown [ We Toil to the Boil in run-out ]
Side 2 - Bad Self (Part One)[ What’s on Your Minds? in run-out ]

Download: Cabaret Voltaire - James Brown 12“ single
Download Size:33.159MB (ripped from vinyl at 320Kbps)

Machinations - Pressure Sway 12“ ep???

Next up is Sydney, Australia band Machinations. Although this is listed as a 12“ ep with three songs, I’ll be damned if this record has three songs. Side Two is listed as containing “Pressure Sway (Instrumental Version)” & “Push Bike”, but there is no bike, push or otherwise. So I guess this is really a 12“ single as well. Oh, well. Machinations was very popular in Australia in the indie-rock scene of the mid-80s. They also began as a three-piece with Fred Loneragan (vocals), Tim Doyle (guitar), & Tony Starr (keyboards & drum machine). They were then joined by Nick ‘Nero’ Swan on bass. After a charting single & a self-titled ep, the band signed with prestigious Mushroom Record's White Label. In 1983 the band again charted both in Australia (#21) & the U.S. (#40) with the song “Pressure Sway”. Fame was not due to follow, however, & they never really became a household name.

Year of Release: 1983
Label: A&M Records SP-12077
Genre: Electro-pop

Tracklist:

Side One: Pressure Sway (Extended Club Version)
Side Two: Pressure Sway (Instrumental Version)

Download: Machinations - Pressure Sway 12inch ep
Download Size:25.5MB (ripped from vinyl at 320Kbps)

Wreck - self-titled 12“ ep

Last is Chicago noise-rock band Wreck. A truly under-appreciated & overlooked band. Started by Dean Schlabowske (guitar & vocals), Keith Brammer (bass), & Bart Flores (drums). Dean later was in the Waco brothers, while Keith left after the first ep (for Die Kreuzen & Boy Dirt Car) & was replaced by Kurt Moore. The band recorded for WaxTrax! on their Play it Again Sam label, releasing two eps, a single, & one full length lp. Wreck was an oddity on Waxtrax!, who featured mostly industrial dance musick. Wreck seemed to have more in common with AmRep bands. Their sound was in a similar vein as Big Black. In fact legendary madman Steve Albini was at the production helm of all their releases.

Year of Release: 1989
Label: Play it Again Sam BIUS 3033
Genre: Noise-rock

Tracklist:

Side A
Song X
Cut Ups
Side B
Lac du Flambeau
We Know Everything

Download: Wreck - Self-titled 12“ ep
Download: 23.27MB (ripped from vinyl at 320Kbps)

Ojorojo - Can You Keep Your Sanity

When I was still doing EAT POOP! ‘zine in San Jose, a lot of my friends were crusters. We would go to great house parties in West Oakland & see Filth, Jack Acid, Primus, Grimple, Ojorojo & many more that went on to fame or down to infamy. Grunt (guitar & vocals) gave me this record at one of Ojorojo’s gigs.

One of the truly great proponents of crust, Ojorojo used a female/male vocal interplay that really gave them their edge. Members of Ojorojo shared duties in or were once members of other East Bay bands like: Grimple; Econochrist; plus more; & Jenean, the incredible female vocalist screamed for a similarly great band called Multi Facet. In the world of crust, Ojorojo are one of the best. The song “Caged” is punk as fuck.

The band only released this one full length (although they appear on several compilations) can you keep your sanity on East Bay Menace, consisting of 14 hardcore crust paeans. It's a scorcher of an album, as brutal as hell. There are some truly catchy guitar riffs with liberal helpings of sonic squelch & swampy doom. It also contains some great sampling from the movieTHX-1138.

I’ve seen this posted before once or twice in the past, I believe, but it was always the cd version which is missing two songs from this, the original vinyl release. Album contains 17“ x 22“ black & white poster & lyric sheet.

Ojorojo is: Jenean - vocals; Grunt - guitar & vocals; Jon - guitar & vocals; Mark - bass; & Ira - drums. Recorded at Canyon Studios in April 1997, engineered by Mark LeMaire, front cover by Pete Inc., poster by Josh Frizzle.

Year of Release: 1997
Label: East Bay Menace EBM008
Genre: Crust punk

Tracklist:
Side Ojorojo:
Broken World
Trapped Inside
Choking on What’s Real
Collapse
The Sheep
Caged
Disease

Side East Bay Menace:
Lifeblood
Gunshotecho
No Hope
Knives
Fuck Me
A Show of Force
To Have Not
(because there are no song breaks between songs 1-4 Side A & between songs 2-3 & 5-6 Side B, I have included both the split & run-together versions, as you wish)

Download: Ojorojo - can you keep your sanity
Download Size: 126MB (ripped at 320Kbps from prisine vinyl)

Jetty Webb - Jetty Webb

Earlier this spring my friend Ib was writing about cosmonauts & posted up the song “Mir” by the band Jetty Webb off their first single on Loverly Records “Mir” b/w “Cornerwalk” LM-9802-7. What a phenomenally great tune. He said, “There appears to be very little information out there on Jetty Webb, which is a real shame, because this song is so good it deserves a second listening in less time than it takes a comet to orbit the earth. The a-side appears to be a McKay, Sikes & Easley composition.”

I remembered hearing this band before, they had a track on the 2004 Summer Break Records compilation Sunny Teriyaki Hamburger Breakfast, probably the best song on the entire comp. I had to hear more.

I decided to do some detective work & after several false starts, was able to contact Brian McKay - vocalist, guitarist, & founding member of Jetty Webb. We conversed by e-mail numerous times & he sent my a FREE copy of their self-titled 2003 release (recorded mid-2000). I was truly impressed by his gracious good nature & the bands fine musickal skills so I asked if we might conduct an interview.

NØ: “How did Jetty Webb get started & tell me about the name?”

TL: "Jetty Webb started back in 1998, when Stuart Sikes (drums) & Brian McKay (guitar/vocals) moved from Dallas to Memphis," says bassist Tripp Lamkins. "Stu worked as an engineer at Easley-McCain Recording Studio, & we had band practice there. We named ourselves after a lady who used to live in their rental house on Manila. They kept getting mail addressed to Jetty Webb, so Jetty Webb it was."

BM: Brian recalls, “Stuart & I started playing at the house we rented on Manila (‘The Manila Palace’). We had a fairly large house, with cheap rent in Midtown & once Stuart bought drums & I finally bought an electric guitar we started banging things out in our attic. Shortly after this, Tripp Lamkins (bass) from the local band The Grifters joined our jam sessions. “Mir” was the first 45 we put out & the second (& last one) was a split 45 with The Satyrs that included our song 'Stays the Same' (included on the full length self-titled release). We played the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival on Beale Street in 1999. After that we started getting gigs around town, & out of town as well, in New Orleans (The Mermaid Lounge) & Dallas, TX. In early 2000 Jerome Brock from Dallas joined the group as second guitarist as well as for his songwriting abilities. We then went into Easley-McCain Studios in South Memphis & recorded most of our self-titled release. Two tracks were recorded in a cabin in Calvert in the Texas hill country. We felt like we had the complete line-up that we’d been working on creating. Then several key members (myself & Stuart) had to move to various places away from Memphis.”

Tripp adds, “Our lives took us to different locales & long distance relationships rarely work. I continued to work on the tracks we had recorded. I decides to start Lamar Records with Shangri-La Records' Jared McStay with the intent of releasing Jetty Webb's album.”

NØ: “What was the late '90s - early '00s Memphis scene like?”

BM: “Tripp is really the one to answer the 'Memphis Music' scene question. Both Stuart & I were transplants from Texas. Tripp had been in bands here in Memphis since the '80s. I can however relay that in the 90s the scene was very much thriving. Favorites for me were bands like Delorean, The Grifters, The Simple Ones, The Satyrs & Lorette Velvet. Jeff Buckley played a weekly show at Barristers, a regular Monday night spot.”

NØ: “As a group, what was one of your most excellent adventures?”

BM: “One of our best times was a Saturday night show at The Mermaid Lounge in New Orleans. We spent Saturday morning nursing Friday night's hangover with a Bloody Mary bar crawl throughout the Quarter. Despite the booze, or perhaps because of it, we had a fantastic set. It's hard not to have a stellar time when visiting New Orleans (pre-Katrina).”

NØ: “Tell me about the ending...I'm listening to Undone & really loving it, but it made me ask this question.”

BM: “It all ending amicably. We had such a great group of people in the band (which when we were in the studio recording consisted of many friends stopping by to lend a vocal track here or a guitar or keyboard track there). Eventually, I left for Connecticut & Stuart moved to Dallas. Due to the distance things became static. I've played with other people but having Tripp on bass is an asset. Tripp is an excellent arranger. You can show him the music you are working on & he can take it places you would not have thought on your own. He was essential to the music Jetty Webb produced.”

I'm always amazed & at the same time depressed by all the great musick that bands have created that has fallen by the wayside because of the commercial business of MUSIC & the unbelievable lameness of popular mainstream drivel. It is always such a rewarding experience to be able to experience a band like Jetty Webb.

I can not thank Brian enough (& the rest of these great musickians).

Now its "Raining"


One last thing from Brian, “I think it's cool you'd like to direct other people to our music. Overall, I think it's the songs that tell it all. A cliche, perhaps...but, the music speaks for itself.”

Year of Release: 2003
Label: Lamar Records initial release LMR001
Genre: Indie

Tracklist:
Caravan Passes
Aug.-Sept.
Stays the Same
Misanthrope
Song in F
Jingle
Undone
Raining
Wasted
Gem
hidden track (Over & Over???)

Download: Jetty Webb - Jetty Webb
Download Size: 94.1Mb (as always with NØ 320Kbps)

Opal - Fell from the Sky EP

So the Story of O-pal nears its climax with the first of two eps released by Opal in the mid-80s. First is the four song Fell from the Sun ep. I have listed the tracks as they are on the ep, but have included the bonus track, “Hear the Wind Blow”.

Year of Release: 1984
Label: Rough Trade
Genre: Alternative / Psychedelic

Tracklist:
Side A -
Grains of Sand
Fell from the Sun
Side B -
All Souls
Lullabye

Download: Opal - Fell from the Sun ep
Download Size: 53.4MB

Opal - Northern Line EP

Possibly the final chapter in the Story of O-pal, unless there is hue & cry for the 1981-82 DreamSyndicate prequel or Kendra Smith, the solo years. Opal’s next release was the Northern Line ep. It contains three tracks, but I have included an additional two songs for your listening pleasure, “My Only Friend” & “Harriet Brown”

Year of Release: 1985
Label: One Big Guitar (Serpent / Enigma)
Genre: Alternative / Psychedelic

Tracklist:
Side A -
Northern Line
Empty Bottles
Side B -
Soul Giver

Download: Opal - Northern Line ep
Download Size: 53.7

Opal - Early Recordings Vol. II

Seems there are quiet a few people enjoying the early Opal tracks. Thought I'd post up some more that are not readily available. These recordings are from the early days of Opal, same time frame as the previous, 1983 - 1987. They were never released on any official Opal project. The sound quality is less than perfect, having been taken from various tape sources, but this set contains some great tracks, songs like "Sailing Boats". Also Kendra's take on the Leonard Cohen song "Sisters of Mercy" is a must-hear. This particular upload has been remastered & recorded at 320Kbps, so it should be a valuable addition to Opal fans. Enjoy.

Year of Release: 2006???
Label: Bootleg
Genre: Indie, Alt-Psychedelic

Tracklist:

My Canyon Memory
Sisters of Mercy
Sailing Boats
Vespers
Lisa's Funeral
This Town
Freight Train
Wintertime
Little Bit of Rain
What You've Done
Cherry Jam
Indian Summer

Download: Opal - Early Recordings Vol, II
Download Size: 119.1MB

Opal - Early Recordings

Let's get on down, get on down the road.

While SST's release Happy Nightmare Baby by Opal is essential, this set of 'Early' (1983-1987) recordings is a great showcase of the song-making skills of Kendra Smith & David Roback. Made up primarily of songs from the Northern Line & Fell from the Sun eps, with additional outtakes & unreleased tracks ("Harriet Brown" being a great haunting melody previously unheard). Opal is an oft overlooked band that always manages to please me, no matter the set or setting. I hope the uninitiated (if there are any) will take a chance on this wistful yet lovely offering.

Year of Release: 1989
Label: Rough Trade
Genre: Indie, Alt-Psychedelic

Track List:
Empty Box Blues
She's a Diamond
My Only Friend
Empty Bottles
Grains of Sand
Brigit on Sunday
Northern Line
Strange Delight
Fell from the Sun
Harriet Brown
Lullabye
All Souls
Hear the Wind Blow

Download: Opal - Early Recordings
Download Size: 114.74MB (at 320Kbps)

Brainticket - Alchemic Universe

Zero posted up those lists of last.fm Monthly Member Recommendations & I thought it would be kool to feature some of the listed artists.

Brainticket is generally classified as Krautrock, but they were actually pioneers of Kosmiche music along with the likes of Tangerine Dream & Klaus Schulze. Though the earlier (70s) Brainticket material are their classic releases, Psychonaut & Celestial Ocean remain available many other places around the Interweb. Fortunately Brainticket main-man & keyboardist Jöel Vandroogenbroeck is still making interesting musick today. I thought you might like to give Alchemic Universe a listen. It was originally released by Hologram Records in 2000. It features primarily Jöel with Carole Muriel providing the vocals & lyrics by Lance Bunda (who also produced).


The CD opens with "Life's Mirror", a great combination of mind-expanding symphonics & killer alien sounds with narration from Carole Muriel (who crops up intermittently throughout the album). "Relics 'N' Roll" seems the most reminiscent of the Prog/Kosmiche days.This album draws on Joël's past from the pioneering 70s, but is not merely a retro rehashing of past glories It's the Brainticket sound that you hope for with new life & fresh ideas.

Year of Release: 2000
Label: Hologram Records HOL 2001
Genre: Prog, Krautrock, Kosmiche

Tracklist:
Life's Mirror
Transformation of a Stream
Within Venus
Alchemic Universe
Relics 'N' Roll
The Sunspace Between
A Dreamer's Reflection
Time

Download: Brainticket - Alchemic Universe
Download Size: 135.37MB at 320Kbps

Phallus Dei - Pornocrates

As I promised several people, more Phallus Dei. If you want more info about the band, go here. Phallus Dei put a lot of time & creative effort into writing their songs. The payoff is an immaculate sounding & composed piece of musick. This is one powerful album.

"Monumental." On Pornocrates the line-up is the same as Cyberflesh.

Phallus Dei is: Oliver St. Lingam - vocals & sequencing; Mk. E - guitar, acoustic guitar, flute, bass, & keyboards; Joris Huijbregts - bass, keyboards, accordion, & sequencing; & Richard van Kruysdijk - drums, percussion, synthesizer, keyboards, guitar, & sequencing. Written, arranged, produced & performed by Phallus Dei.

Year of Release: 1994
Label: Paragoric PA 06
Genre: Electronic Industrial

Tracklist:

Dog (Prologue)
On Aloneness
The Arising (A New Day Version)
Unguided Love
Pornocrates (Bloodlust a Go-Go version)
Insignificance
Ladyshave
The Outer Bone
Circles on Circles (Dreams ov Channel Five version)
Never to Believe (My Release version)
Veiled Statues
Dead Birds Floating
Current Lullabye (Epilogue)

Download: Phallus Dei - Pornocrates
Download Size: 109.9MB

Phallus Dei - Pornocrates Video

Previously I posted Phallus Dei - Pornocrates. Thought some folks might be interested in the video to the title track.

Download: Phallus Dei - Pornocrates video mpg
Download Size: 59.81MB

Levi & the Rockats - Live at The Louisiana Hayride

The Louisiana Hayride was a radio broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday helped launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American country music, names that included Hank Williams, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, & Johnny Horton. Elvis first debuted "That's All Right Mama" on October 16, 1954. He stayed with the Hayride for a year before moving on to sign with RCA Records & Colonel Tom Parker. The next big name to hang his star on the Hayride door was Johnny Horton. He remained a member of the Hayride until his death. On November 5, 1960, Horton was killed instantly in a head-on collision with a drunk driver on Highway 79 at Milano, Texas while he was returning home from a performance at the Skyline Club in Austin.

In November 1977, Levi Dexter & his band, The Rockats, made their debut at the Royal College of Art, within the shadow of The Royal Albert Hall. Johnny Thunders jammmed at the end of their set. The headliner band that night was the reggae band Steel Pulse. On December 26, 1977, Levi & the Rockats closed the “Boxing Day Relapse” concert at The Music Machine in London with Siouxie & the Banshees & Adam & the Ants, establishing them as the first neo-Rockabilly band to emerge from the burgeoning London punk scene. In March 1978, Levi records “Evil Minded Mama”, a duet with Jayne County & The Electric Chairs. They toured England, Scotland, & Wales together on the first ever Ted/Punk Tour. By May 1978 Levi had relocated to the U.S. to get an 'American Perspective', moving first to Los Angeles where they were welcomed by bands like X. On November 10th 1978, Levi & the Rockats made their U.S. debut at Max’s Kansas City in New York opening for The Cramps.


On July 14, 1979, Levi & the Roackats, a neo-Rockabilly band from England, newly transplanted to Los Angeles, became the first rock performers to play The Louisiana Hayride since Elvis Presley played there nearly 25 years before. This is the live recording of that historic show.

Levi & the Rockats are: Levi Dexter - vocals; Eddie Dibbles - guitar; Guy Hemmer - rhythm guitar; Smut Smiff - bass; & Dean Thomas - drums. The Rockats were the last act ever introduced by legendary emcee Frank Page, who had emceed the Hayride for over 30 years & who had introduced Presley in 1954. His introduction is the opening track.

Year of Release: 1981
Label: Posh Boy PBS-162
Genre: Rockabilly

Tracklist:

Side A -
Introduction by Mr. Frank Page
Rock-a-Billy Idol
She Ain't No Angel
Tired & Sleepy
Lonesome Saturday Night
Side B -
Room to Rock
Crazy Baby
Love this Kat
Other Side of Midnight
Note from the South.

Download: Levi & the Rockats - Live at The Louisiana Hayride
Download Size: 61.5MB
(Ripped From 28 yr. old PoshBoy Vinyl at 320Kbps)

Phallus Dei - Cyberflesh

Over at Nothin' Sez Somethin' I've been cramming Legendary Pink Dots down my visitors earholes, so I'll spare you all that pleasure, you can go get'em if you want'em. Another band that is also up in the Nothin' aether with LPD is Phallus Dei (the schlong of God). Phallus Dei is a German/Dutch industrial band dealing dark Gothick romanticism on the one hand with a trashy fascination for sex & violence on the other. Gotta love it.

Phallus Dei began as a musickal projeckt of Oliver St. Lingam (another holy prick) in 1988. Taking his projeckt name from the historic 1969 album by krautrock Amon Düül II , St. Lingam released the tapes Pigfuck & Per Crucem Ad Lucem on the Unclean label. PD then signed with Dark Vinyl & released the ground-breaking industrial release Pontifex Maximus in 1991.

Following a successful European tour with Italian industrial musick giants Sigillum S, PhallusDei expanded to a three piece unit with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Mk. E & drummer, multi-instrumentalist Richard van Kruysdijk. With the additional help of Joris Huijbregts (who had previously played with Richard v. K. in the band Lament), the band recorded their follow-up album Cyberflesh. The sound of the group had progressed greatly on Cyberflesh, forming a more matured, guitar-laden sound. Phallus Dei had found a great balance between electronics & guitar, never allowing the abrasive riffs to overshadow their strong beats or experimental vocal styles.

On Cyberflesh, Phallus Dei are: Oliver St. Lingam - vocals & sequencing; Mk. E - guitar, acoustic guitar, flute, bass, & keyboards; Joris Huijbregts - bass, keyboards, accordion, & sequencing; & Richard van Kruysdijk - drums, percussion, synthesizer, keyboards, guitar, & sequencing. Written, arranged, produced & performed by Phallus Dei.

Year of Release: 1993
Label: Paragoric PA 02
Genre: Electronic Industrial, Electro, Gothick Ambient

Track List:
1. Egg (Prologue)
2. She Suffers (& Makes Suffer)
3. Dieu (voice - Salvador Dalí)
4. Live on Joy (voice - Klaus Kinski)
5. Tortured Heroine (additional lyrics by Adi Newton)
6. Existence
7. Confessio (additional lyrics by Charles Manson)
8. Man's Son
9. Cyberflesh (voice - Salvador Dalí)
10. La Mort (voice - Henry Lee Lucas & Kenneth Bianchi)
11. Clothed in Flesh
12. Live to Tell
13. Taphtatharath (Epilogue)

Download: Phallus Dei - Cyberflesh
Download Size: 103MB (ripped in glorious 320Kbps)

Wayne Kramer - Dangerous Madness

No longer available from Epitaph or on Wayne's website, Dangerous Madness is a fine slab of midwest American rock. Madness is the second solo release from Wayne Kramer. Kramer was a co-founding member & co-guitarist (along with the great Fred 'Sonic' Smith) of the legendary proto-punk band MC5, whose first album, 1969s Kick Out the Jams is one of the most influential records of the era. MC5's raw, visceral sound helped lay the groundwork for punk. Wayne has successfully carried that sound into his solo work. On Dangerous Madness he digs into his own personal past, telling tales of harrowing bouts with drug addiction & jail time to create another blast of authentic, streetwise hard rock. The title track launches Dangerous Madness with a hard-driving, wary observation of society's fringe, attacking talk-show culture & violence-prone extremism. Terence Trent D'arby adds a subtle hint of soul to the otherwise brutal rocker. Kramer's songs are fueled with disdain, but are tempered with his experience.

" Kramer's lyrical phrasing often resembles the dark-side-of-life writing of street-level author Charles Bukowski, and his manic guitar attack paints a similarly gritty mural of shady debauchery. Dangerous Madness is a hair-raising jaunt through dark but realistic subject matter, proving Kramer to be an incendiary poetic force. His self-produced sonic boom effectively recaptures the raw musical intensity of his days in the MC5 without sounding overly nostalgic. The faint of heart may not wish to partake, but those with an appetite for brutally honest, bone-crunching rock will not be disappointed."
AllMusic

All music written by Wayne Kramer, lyrics by Mick Farren except "Back to Detroit", "A Dead Man's Vest", & "The Rats of Illusion" by Wayne Kramer. Most songs feature Wayne on guitar, bass, & vocals & Brock Avery on drums except "Dead Movie Stars" has Chad Smith on drums. Additional vocals by Terence Trent D'arby & Brett Gurewitz. Several track have Scott Thunes on bass while "Dead Movie Stars" has Tad Schumacher on bass.

Year of Release: 1996
Label: Epitaph 86458
Genre: Hard Rock

Track List:
Side One
Dangerous Madness
Back to Detroit
Wild America
Something Broken in the Promised Land
Take Exit 97
God's Worst Nightmare

Side Two
The Boys Got That Look in Their Eyes
A Dead Man's Vest
It's Never Enough
The Rats of Illusion
Dead Movie Star

Download: Wayne Kramer - Dangerous Madness
Download Size: 106MB (ripped from scratchy vinyl at glorious 320Kbps)

Government Issue - Live

I probably don't need to go into too much detail about Government Issue or G.I., as they were often known. They were founding members of the Washington, D.C. hardcore sound, much of their material released on the seminal Dischord Records. Early on their musick was straight forward hardcore. They later progressed into a more melodic song-focused outfit, often with lyrics critical of the short-sighted behavior of the scene they aided in creating. Given the long running nature of the band, many participants in the DC hardcore scene had gone through G.I.'s membership. Government Issue featured Brian Baker of Minor Threat & Bad Religion, as well as Mike Fellows of Rites of Spring along with many others. G.I. became one of the longest-running bands in the DC hardcore scene. After numerous line-up changes, the band broke up in 1989.

Mystic Records Presents: Government Issue Live is a great slab of musick, covering the bands 1982 - 1985 period. Most discographies of Government Issue don't even list this album & I have not found it posted anywhere else. The band at this time consists of: John Stabb - vocals; Tom Lyle - guitar; Marc Alberstadt - drums; & a number of bass players including Lenny Leonard, Rob Moss, Mike Fellows, & Mitch Parker.

Year of Release: 1985
Label: Mystic Records MLP33144
Genre: Hardcore Punk

Tracklist:

Side One:
1. Interview
2. Familiar¹
3. Time to Escape¹
4. The Next Time²
5. Fun & Games²
6. These Boots are Made for Walkin'³
7. Hall of Fame⁴
8. Reflections⁵
9. Notch to My Crotch⁵

Side Two:
1. Interview
2. Hall of Fame ¹
3. Understand⁶
4. Teenager in a Box⁶
5. G.I.⁷
6. Hour of One⁸
7. Dead Dog⁹
8. Any Final Comments

Interview Side One & final comments Side Two courtesy WCTV, Baltimore, Maryland 1981.
Interview Side Two courtesy WMUC, university of Maryland, Baltimore 1981.

¹ King Kong's, Adelphi, Maryland June 21, 1984
² C.E. Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania February 23, 1985
³ Newton Theater, Washington, D.C. June 24, 1984
⁴ Upper Deck, Minneapolis, Minnesota August 3, 1983
⁵ Pierce Hall, Washington, D.C. April 6, 1984
⁶ Glenmont Recreation Center, Wheaton, Maryland February 25, 1984
⁷ Wilson Center, Washington, D.C. February 25, 1983
⁸ Wilson Center, Washington, D.C. October 22, 1982
⁹ CBGBs, New York City July 30, 1983

Download: Government Issue - Live
Download Size: 66.2MB (ripped from 24 yr. old vinyl at glorious 320Kbps)

VA - Born Bad Volumes 1-6

In 1986 the first of a series of compilations entitled "Born Bad" introduced listeners to a number of bands that greatly influenced the rockabilly and psychobilly bands in the decades that followed. Perhaps the most important band to emerge was The Cramps, a band that I have featured here on DM many times in the past. The Cramps helped to usher in a new wave of rockabilly acts across the world, and inadvertently created a new genre in the process. They combined the sound and style of the early country, rockabilly and garage rock acts of the '50s and '60s with the newly emerging punk rock attitude and style of the late '70s. Their unique approach was labeled as "Psychobilly", and thus a genre was born.

The Born Bad series collects together the original music that inspired bands such as The Cramps. The six original volumes contain 84 tracks, with each volume in the series containing 14 tracks. The first volume is often listed as "Volume One: Songs The Cramps Taught Us", not to be confused with the bootleg release of the same name, which can be found here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2007/12/various-artists-songs-cramps-taught-us.html A sticker was included on the vinyl release of the first volume that read "Songs The Cramps Taught Us", although it would not be included on any of the volumes that followed. For those of you who are interested in listening to the early rockabilly, country, rock 'n' roll and garage rock acts of the '50s and '60s that inspired The Cramps, it gets no better than this compilation. Those of you who are familiar with The Cramps will recognize these songs, as the band sought to pay tribute to the artists that inspired them by performing their own cover versions to many of the songs contained in the Born Bad series.

The Born Bad series has proven to be one of the most popular posts on the blog. This is actually the third incarnation of the series that I have posted. Each time I have re-posted it I have attempted to improve the download being presented in terms of quality and features. Once again I have replaced the previous version with one consisting of MP3 files of a higher quality bitrate. Perhaps one day I'll get lucky enough to obtain a version of this in either FLAC or 320kbps MP3. I have exhausted all possibilities while searching for higher quality versions, but I have yet to find anything better than 192kbps. I have also included the liner notes for each individual volume, and managed to track down a number of images other than the front album covers.

Decades after the first volume was released someone decided to create two bootleg volumes to expand on the original six, and I will be posting those two volumes (Volumes 7 & 8) next. Due to the fact that they are bootleg releases, and not officially affiliated with the original six volumes, I decided to dedicate a separate post to those volumes. You can find Born Bad Volumes 7 & 8 posted here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/11/born-bad-volumes-7-8.html

Born Bad Volume 1

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps
Format: MP3

Tracklist:
1. The Bostweeds - Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
2. Ronnie Cook - Goo Goo Muck
3. Link Wray - Fat Back
4. Dwight Pullen - Sunglasses After Dark
5. Glenn Glenn - Everybody's Movin'
6. Roy Orbison - Domino
7. The Sonics - Strychnine
8. The Groupies - Primitive
9. Ronnie Dawson - Rockin' Bones
10. The Third Bardo - I'm Five Years Ahead of My TIme
11. Warren Smith - Uranium Rock
12. Mel Robbins - Save It
13. The Novas - The Crusher
14. Wanda Jackson - Funnel of Love

Download: Born Bad Vol. 1
Download Size: 49MB

Born Bad Volume 2

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps
Format: MP3

Tracklist:
1. The Phantom - Love Me
2. Jimmy Loyd - Rocket In My Pocket
3. Tommy James & The Shondells - Hanky Panky
4. Paul Revere & the Raiders - Hungry
5. Kasenetz-Katz Super Circus - Quick Joey Small
6. Charlie Feathers - I Can't Hardly Stand It
7. Jimmy Stewart - Rock On The Moon
8. Hasil Adkins - She Said
9. Dale Hawkins - Tornado
10. Little Willie John - Fever
11. Jackie Lee Cochran - Sweet Georgia Lee Brown
12. Dave 'diddle' Day - Blue Moon Baby
13. Jody Reynolds - Fire of Love
14. Ricky Nelson - Lonesome Town

Download: Born Bad Vol. 2
Download Size: 50MB

Born Bad Volume 3

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps
Format: MP3

Tracklist:
1. Kip Tyler & His Flips - Jungle Hop
2. The Busters - Bust Out
3. Jett Powers - Go, Girl, Go
4. The Riptides - Machine Gun
5. The Rivingtons - Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow
6. The Rivingtons - The Bird's The Word
7. The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird
8. Andre Williams & His New Group - Bacon Fat
9. Andre Williams - Jail Bait
10. The Frantics - Werewolf
11. Del Raney's Umbrella's - Can Your Hossie Do The Dog
12. Jack Scott - The Way I Walk
13. Andy Starr - Give Me A Woman
14. Herbie Duncan - Hot Lips Baby

Download: Born Bad Vol. 3
Download Size: 49MB

Born Bad Volume 4

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps

Tracklist:
1. Buddy Love - Heartbreak Hotel
2. The Shades - Strollin' After Dark
3. Spark Plugs - Chicken
4. Nat Couty and the Braves - Woodpecker Rock
5. Ward Darby & the Raves - Safari
6. Shortly Long - Devil With The Blue Dress On
7. The Red Crayola - Hurricane Fighter Blues
8. The Standells - Barracuda
9. Richard Berry and the Pharoahs - Louie Louie
10. The Tune Rockers - Green Mosquito
11. Duane Eddy & the Rebels - Girl on Death Row
12. The Rumblers - Boss
13. Bill Allen & the Backbeats - Please Give Me Something
14. Alfred E. Neuman - It's A Gas

Download: Born Bad Vol. 4
Download Size: 51MB

Born Bad Volume 5

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps
Format: MP3

Tracklist:
1. Kai Ray - I Want Some of That
2. The Instrumentals - Chop Suey Rock
3. The Raindrops - Hanky Panky
4. Jerry Warren & the Tremblers - Rompin'
5. Carl Perkins - Her Love Rubbed Off
6. The Readymen - Shortnin' Bread
7. The Joker - What Is A Fisterris
8. The Fendermen - Mule Skinner Blues
9. Three Aces & A Joker - Booze Party
10. Lonnie Allen - You'll Never Change Me
11. Macy Skipper - Bop Pills
12. Mac Rebennack - Storm Warning
13. Freddy & the Hitchhikers - Sinners
14. Charlie Feathers - It's Just That Song

Download: Born Bad Vol. 5
Download Size: 50MB

Born Bad Volume 6

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps
Format: MP3

Tracklist:
1. Dean Carter - Jailhouse Rock
2. Lee Dresser & The Krazy Kats - Beat Out My Love
3. The Ventures - The Fourth Dimension
4. J.J. Jackson & the Jackaels - Oo-Ma-Liddi
5. The Sonics - He's Waitin'
6. The Wailers - Dirty Robber
7. Carol Connors & The Cycles - Yum Yum Yamaha
8. The Flower Children - Mini-Skirt Blues
9. The Sparkles - Hipsville 29 B.C. (I Need Your Help)
10. Jim Lowe - Green Door
11. Mel Smith & The Night Riders - Pretty Plaid Skirt (and Long Black Sox)
12. The Runabouts - When I Get The Blues (The Strangeness In Me)
13. Tommy Jim Beam & the Four Fifths - Golden Boy
14. Ric Cartey - Oo Eee

Download: Born Bad Vol. 6
Download Size: 50MB

Phil Spector's Greatest Hits

Guess I better get back to this alphabetical thing if I’m ever going to make it to Z. Made it to S so far, don’t want to fail now with the end in sight.

I’ve had 11,647 things to do since I posted letter R (unfortunately 5000 of those things were $$$ in fines for criminal trespass I incurred while doing a bit of sign remodeling [billboard shenanigans as my friend Salmagundi calls it] recently).

I had some Soft Cell, The Shits, & Greg Sage slated for the S slot when I came across this gem that was in the Various Artists section.

Phil Spector’s Greatest Hits is a 1977 release by Warner/Spector Records. It is an out-of-print very, very, rare compilation of Phil Spector's songs on a double LP with a sweet gatefold jacket illustrating a great deal that is pertinent to the Spector ‘wall of sound’ (Phillies, back to mono, Veronica ‘Ronnie Spector’ Bennett, a giant Phil balloon,etc). When people talk about “He’s a Rebel” or “Be My Baby”, “Then He Kissed Me” or “Walkin’ in the Rain”, very often they can’t remember whether the Ronettes or the Crystals recorded them, or the name of the group slips their mind entirely. Instead they simply call them “Phil Spector records”.

Spector's first song was 1958s “To Know Him is to Love Him" by the Teddy Bears, a group Phil formed at age 17 with two high school classmates. Spector wrote it, produced it, played guitar on it, & sang back-up vocals behind Carol Connors' breathy lead. The song charted at Number One.

In 1964 Spector scored his greatest triumph, “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” with The Righteous Brothers, generally regarded as one of the truly historic records of all times. Although the song runs 3:45, Spector labeled it at 3:05 on the record so that radio stations which normally clung to the conservative 3 minute rule would be more likely to play it. Such is the cunning of PS. It worked, the song received massive air-play & went to Number One.

& we probably are all aware of Phil’s latest record...his criminal record, ba-da-bum!

This sucker starts right off with “Be My Baby”, a classic song of yearning teen-dream with an opening drum riff that is one of the most famous introductions in rock. Dig in, kiddies!

Year of Release: 1977
Label: Warner/Spector 2SP9104
Genre: “little symphonies for the kids”

Tracklist:
Side 1 -
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Da Doo Ron Ron - The Crystals
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals
Baby, I Love You - The Ronettes
Walkin’ in the Rain - The Ronettes
Side 2 -
He’s a Rebel - The Crystals
Uptown - The Crystals
Zip-a-dee Doo-dah - Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
Not too Young to Get Married - Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
Today I Met the Boy I’m Gonna Marry - Darlene Love
Wait ‘til My Bobby Gets Home - Darlene Love
Side 3 -
To Know Him is to Love Him - TheTeddy Bears
Pretty Little Angel Eyes - Curtis Lee
I Love how You Love Me - The Paris Sisters
Every Breath I Take - Gene Pitney
Under bthe Moon of Love - Curtis Lee
He’s Sure the Boy I Love - The Crystals
Side 4 -
Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King
Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
River Deep-Mountain High - Ike & Tina Turner
Just Once in My Life - The Righteous Brothers
Black Pearl - Sonny Charles & Checkmate Ltd.
Ebb Tide - The Righteous Brothers

Download: Various Artists - Phil Spector’s Greatest Hits
Download Size: 155MB (ripped at 320Kbps from 33.3rpm 33 year old vinyl)
The decryption code is in comments.

Alain Goraguer - La Planète Sauvage (Bande Sonore Originale)

Man, just squeaked in under the wire to get with this September Sci-Fi thang. Been busy as hell...sleeping, & didn’t realize another month had rolled by.

Here’s the soundtrack from one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all, La Planète Sauvage or as it was known in the US, Fantastic Planet. Released in France in 1973.

I’m not going to go into detail about the movie. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. If you have, watch it again, it’s always great. The film takes place in the future in which human beings, known as "Oms" (from the French word hommes, meaning men), have been brought to the Draags' home planet, where they are kept as pets with special collars. The Draags are an alien race, humanoid in appearance but a hundred times larger than humans, with blue skin, fan-like earlobes & protruding red eyes.

The music is by Alain Goraguer, who created music for other French films, including several other animated ones including The Dead Times (Les Temps Morts)(1964) & The Snails (Les Escargots) (1965), both by René Laloux & Roland Topor, who are also responsible for La Planète Sauvage. The music features synthesizers, flute, Hohner clavinet, guitar (with lots of wah-wah effects), bass, & drums. The music to La Planète Sauvage is a progressive funky score, like Pink Floyd meets Shaft.

Year of Release: 1973
Label: Pathé Marconi EMI 2C 066-12698
Genre: Soundtrack, Soul-Jazz, Free Jazz, Jazz-Funk

Tracklist:
Side 1 -
Déshominisation II
Déshominisation I
Générique
Le Bracelet
Ten et Tiwa
Maquillage de Tiwa
Course de Ten
Ten et Médor
Ten et Tiwa Dorment
Ten Est Assomé
Abite
Conseil des Draags
Les Hommes - La Grande Co-Existence
Side 2 -
La Femme
Mira et Ten
Mort de Draag
L' Oiseau
La Cité des Hommes Libres
Attaque des Robots
La Longue Marche
Les Fusées
Générique
Strip Tease
Méditation des Enfants
La Vieille Meurt

Download: Alain Goraguer - La Planète Sauvage (Bande Sonore Originale)
Download Size: 87.3MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

The decryption code is in the comments.

Video: Delia Derbyshire, Loop Composer

Watch in high-definition on Youtube

January 22, 2013 Update: I posted this back in 2010. This music-video collage is still just as impressive as the first time I had the pleasure of watching it. I'm sure there were plenty of people who missed this post the first time around, and since we're in the process of re-uploading content for the blog, I thought I would bump this post to the top of the blog so that it can be shared with an entirely different group of visitors. Unfortunately AK_Alias seems to have disappeared since then. I last heard from him back in 2010, a few months after this was posted. I have yet to see him appear on the internet under this alias. AK if you happen to see this, or anyone who knows him, please contact me.

While searching for Delia Derbyshire videos, I recently stumbled across this amazing video, "Delia Derbyshire, Loop Composer". AK_Alias is the artist behind this project. He likes to refer to his creations as 'sync|sound' music videos, stating "the audio and video are treated as a single chunk of media." Upon watching his first video, I was immediately reminded of Negativland, the infamous plunderphonics group which have made a few appearances here on Meltd0wn in the past. AKA's videos are a form of visual plunderphonics, as he cuts up various scenes, images, sounds, and samples, and then arranges them into a collage that entices both the visual and aural senses.

AKA goes on to further describe his videos as being the result of taking a hip-hop approach to music and video. This thought also crossed my mind while watching his videos, as "video scratching" is made use of in much the same way a DJ would use turntables to manipulate the sound of a vinyl record. Clips are often brought forth throughout, accompanied by music and spoken word samples, then promptly altered by being "scratched", expanded, shrunk, thrown in reverse and rearranged. Each small clips helps to build the collage, whether it is incorporated into the beat, or to introduce various sound effects.

While AKA prefers to describe his creations in a nutshell as "instrumental hip-hop using videos as samples", he doesn't spare any genre from being sucked into his cacophony of visual and aural delights. The hip-hop element is present, but it is also subtle, as AKA brings so many other elements into the fold. Classical, jazz, rock, library music, tv show clips, spoken word bits, standup comedy and many other types of samples are used extensively throughout his videos.

The subject of this video is Delia Derbyshire, a member of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop who pioneered several magnetic audio tape editing techniques. She is another artist who has appeared on Meltd0wn in the past, and her albums can be found here. I believe the footage of Derbyshire seen in this video is taken from the amazing documentary "Alchemists of Sound". Others sampled include: Tristram Cary, Milton Babbitt, Chuck D, Aretha Franklin, Dennis Chambers, Jaco Pastorius, Joy Division, James Brown, Bernard Herrmann, David Lynch, Piano Tooners, Jimmy Page, Charlie Parker, Elastica, Homer Simpson, and Richard Pryor.

I hope you enjoy AK_Alias' work. Please be sure to check out the links below to his profile and channel on Vimeo, and take the time to leave him a comment regarding his work. He is taking a break at the moment to work on other projects, but I have a feeling you will be seeing his work again on Meltd0wn in the future.

AKA_Alias on Vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/aka
Sync|Sound Music Channel:
http://vimeo.com/channels/syncsound

With this video I plan to start sharing at least one video a month, if not more, here on Digital Meltd0wn. Some of you may remember that at one time I regularly posted videos here. It wasn't a concept that I purposely abandoned, but one that I was forced to slowly filter out as the amount of free time I had available to me dwindled to a virtually nonexistent level. I have also created a Youtube channel for Digital Meltd0wn, which you can find here: http://youtube.com/digitalmeltd0wn I haven't uploaded many videos yet, but I will host the majority of the videos featured here, as well as a few that I have yet to share. If any of you would be interested in contributing to the Digital Meltd0wn Youtube channel, please leave a comment and let me know. I'm just looking for someone who would be willing to upload a couple of videos a month.

Paco Ibáñez - Poemas De Federico García Lorca Y Luis De Góngora

Nathan Nothin' here. I've been given the honor of guesting a few posts here at the DM & I'm raring to go. Hope you're not disappointed. Sent Zer0 another post, but in the meantime, I'll post this. I've been wanting to post this one for a long time, but forgot about it. When I was digging through record boxes, I saw the back cover art by Salvador Dali peeking out from a pile of albums.

Born in Valencia in November 1934, youngest son of Basque parents, Paco Ibáñez was forced into exile at 5 years of age when his family took refuge in France to escape the Franco regime. A France occupied by Germany. There his father was arrested & sent to labor camps for anti-fascist militant republicans.

In 1948 Paco began with his musical studies with the violin, but soon it changed to the guitar. Living in Paris at the time, Paco was influenced by Georges Brassens & Atahuapa Yupanqui. His first artistic outings were in the cabarets in the Latin Quarter accompanying Venezuelan singer Soto Carmela. Together they formed the trio The Yares. They traveled around Europe for the next eight years & Paco played guitar on Carmela's first records.

In 1955 Paco finally met Georges Brassens. She inspired him to write a new song. A year later Ibáñez released that song, setting the poem "The Most Beautiful Girl" (La Mas Bella Niña) by Luis Góngora 1561 - 1627 (written about 1580) to music. This idea of turning brilliant Spanish poetry into songs opened the door to a new world for Ibáñez. In 1958 Paco followed up with the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca 1899 - 1936. Paco Ibáñez had found his artistic path.

All of these poems would go on to become part of his first full length record, produced in Paris in 1964. He is accompanied by the world-renowned classical guitarist Antonio Membrado. This record, once published, became a classic, used by teachers of Spanish language & literature as teaching materials & by defenders of freedoms (both Spanish & French) as a symbol of cultural resistance. Ibáñez' prominence amongst the existentialist art community was further enhanced by a drawing created especially by the painter Salvador Dalí for the back cover.

"You could say I created the image by these songs, with a single stain of china ink. The Splash is a splash of blood. In doing so I said: 'I sign this thing Lorca with their blood & mine'." - Salvador Dali

Through his friendship with Dalí, Paco solidified his close relationship with the visual arts. He joined with artists of various medium to form Carraca, where theatrical plays, art exhibitions, literary symposia, film screenings, & music were fostered & promoted.

Year of Release: 1967
Label: Polydor
Catalog #:658 022 GU
Genre: Classical Spanish guitar

Tracklist:

Side A:
A1. Canción de Jinete
A2. El Lagarto está Llorando
A3. Romance a la Luna, Luna
A4. Casida de las Palomas Oscuras
A5. La Señorita del Abanico (Canción China en Europa)
A6. Mi Niña se Fue a la Mar
Lyrics By - Federico García Lorca

Side B:
B1. La Mas Bella Niña
B2. Que se Nos va la Pascua, Mozas
B3. Y Ríase la Gente! (Letrillas)
B4. Lloraba la Niña
B5. Hermana Marica
B6. Bien Puede Ser, No Puede Ser
Lyrics By - Luis De Góngora

Download: Poemas Vol. 1 - Paco Ibáñez
Download Size: 70.3MB
(Ripped from scratchy vinyl at glorious 320Kbps)

Mr. California & the State Police - I'm Gonna Kick You in the Head (2002 - 320kbps)

If the bastard son of Eugene Chadbourne & the Sun City Girls was a one-man punk band, he'd be Mr. California & the State Police. Terry Ryan is Mr. California & the State Police. He's now moved to Cleveland,Ohio but warns everyone not to call him Mr. Ohio. His album Audio Hallucinations is available but good luck finding this here slab, an ultra rare release on cult underground record label PEER PRESSURE ZOMBIE RECORDS.

Armed with a cheap keyboard, a drum machine & a guitar, Mr. California creates a blend of industrial punk mixed with blast beats of thrash & odd interludes, electronic anarchy mixed with a warped sense of humor. Mr. California & the State Police sound like the music of the pre-teen younger brother of someone from Men’s Recovery Project. Fifty-two really short songs in less than 30 minutes with vocals providing insults, childish behavior & other insane ramblings set to a fast beat with distorted guitar. There are songs like "Hot Coffee" that remind me of early Black Flag while tunes like "Pig Eye Poison" (She's a witch [x3]/first she stabs the eye/then she takes the broth/cleans up the mess/cleans up the rest/pig eye poison [x4]/yeah) that remind me of the Sun City Girls heritage. The world should prepare itself for this weapon of mass destruction. Mr. California & the State Police might very well be insane -- or at least attention-deficit . Blistering noise worthy of Lightning Bolt. This is demented no-wave music that flies in the face of all conventions.


This record is pressed on beautiful marbled blue vinyl, the cover has pasted-on silkscreened & spraypainted cover art, totally DIY. Comes with lyric sheet, Please Don't Call Me Poser ("Poser") drawing by Mr. California & a cool sticker. These songs are so short & many run one into the next that I have simply left each side as a single cut (side A tracks 1 - 28, side B 29 - 52). Mr. C says he's gonna kick you in the head, so be forewarned. Enjoy!

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Peer Pressure Zombie
Catalog #:PPZ-003
Genre: Punk, Noise.

Tracklist:

Download: Mr. California & the State Police - I'm Gonna Kick You in the Head
Download Size: 68.4MB
(Ripped from pristine vinyl at 320Kbps)

Les Maitres - Les Maitres (Cassette Rip) (1983 - 320kbps)

Les Maitres is a French post-punk coldwave band that was active in the early 80s. They have only one release, their self-titled cassette from 1983. A handful of their songs also appeared on numerous compilations as recently as 2006.

Coldwave is a French & Belgian post-punk musick. Early French punk groups like Stinky Toys & Métal Urbain were forerunners to the scene. As the scene grew, it took increasing influence from post-punk, disco, & industrial music. I believe coldwave to contain elements of the icy, luminous, electro art rock of artists like Ultravox, Gary Numan, Bill Nelson, Dalek I, Tuxedomoon, Nash the Slash, & others from the late 70s/early 80s.

Comes with insert with the text of “Justine Ou Les Malheurs De La Vertu” by De Sade. Songs “Théatre”, “I Don't Care”, & “Descente Aux Enfers” are demo tracks. “Le Curé", “Souvenir", “L’Entendez-Vous? (2)", & “Le Diable" were recorded live at Art Beton 12 Feb. 83. “L’Entendez-Vous" (a different version than [2]) was recorded live at Pali Kao 21May 83.

Year of Release: 1983
Label: V.I.S.A. Androidia
Catalog #:: Flux #002
Genre: Coldwave, post-punk

Tracklist:
Side A -
A1. Intro
A2. Le Curé
A3. Théatre
A4. I Don't Care
A5. L'Entendez-Vous?

Side B -
B1. Souvenir
B2. Descente Aux Enfers
B3. L'Entendez-Vous? (2)
B4. Le Diable

Download: Les Maitres - Les Maitres cassette
Download Size: 93.5MB (ripped at 320Kbps from audio cassette)

Cringer - Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo

Really the main reason I posted this was so I could write 'Tikki tikki tembo no sa rembo chari bari ruchi pip peri pembo'. I always wanted to do that. Also I am a big fan of Lance Hahn (Lance passed away on Sunday, October 21, 2007, due to complications from kidney disease). I've seen both Cringer & J Church many times at Gilman St. & other Bay Area venues & parties. There are mixed feeling about this release, but Cringer was a true voice of their time & place when this came out. The Bay Area anarchist punk scene was just exploding at this time. Lance had taken over the vocal duties from Gardner who was now concentrating on bass. Derek Imose, from Hawaii was playing drums. Lance was now singing his own lyrics, bringing a much more personal delivery of his mix of political, personal, & sometimes impressionistic songs.

Cringer started in Hawaii in 1984 with Lance Hahn, Ed Tarantino, Gardner Maxam & David Carr. Lance & Ed had previously been in the straight edge/skatecore band, Scarred For Life. David had been in several different bands including the Vacuum & Devil Dog. Gardner had been in Hawaii's first hardcore band, the Sharx. This line-up played several times live on KTUH & recorded three demo tapes: a split with Scarred For Life, We Are All AOK & The Vinegar Tasters. They relocated to Los Angeles in 1986. The group got their major debut with a track from an early demo appearing on the Mystic Records compilation, We Got Party. Hooking up with Vinyl Communications in Chula Vista, this line-up recorded their first 7", Perversion Is Their Destiny.

David & Ed split soon after the 7" was recorded. Francis Sippin from Free Will joined on vocals for a short period of time. Simon Barry, who had previously played in the UK anarcho band Flowers In The Dustbin, joined on guitar. This line-up recorded the second 7", Zen Flesh, Zen Bones as well as tracks for the Exclusion compilation on Nabate, Metal Gives Us A Headache on Hippycore & "Cottleston Pie" for The Thing That Ate Floyd on Lookout.

Derrick Imose from Hawaii joined & Simon eventually split. Nigel Wong joined & the group recorded their first album, Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo.

Year of Release: 1990
Label: Vinyl Communications
Catalog #: VC-12
Genre: Punk

Tracklist:

Side Yin:
A Song about Hawaii
Russia
Sunday
Peace and Harmony
The Dumb Song
Anti Climax
El Salvador
Berlin Wall
Walk In Closet

Side Yang:
Two Friends
Just the Same
This Town
Take Back the Night (revisited)
Carmen
Sentient
Funk Song
Zen Hana Hou

Download: Cringer - Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo
Download Size: 101MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

The Blues Astronauts - No Sanctuary

From the very first note to the final fade-out, this is one wonderful slab of vinyl here, folks. If you're into trying new musick that you've never heard before, then this one gets five stars. First before you get to the vinyl, the cover grabs you. A hand-made cut & paste cover on a blank white record sleeve. There's no printing on this sucker. The album title & band name, the cover photo - the band photo & tracklist & song info on the back, all pasted on by hand. Inside is some of the greatest crazy Beatnik jazz blues from outer space, at times verging on No Wave. Songs like "Tabor" & "Second Coming" remind of James Chance & the Contortions while songs like "In this Life" are dub-influenced a la The Ruts. Even on the only non-original cuts, two traditional blues songs arranged by The Blues Astronauts, they are anything but traditional. "Help Me" ventures into the blues explosions of Jon Spencer while the other, "Wake Up" is more of the seeds gone bad of Nick Cave. The only thing I find disheartening about this band is the lack of information about them or about individual members. Given the early 80s time frame & the Brighton, Massachusetts locale, it is possible that one on the members is a Harvard grad PhD. in Conservation Biology & perhaps one has gone into the visual arts field. The only member I'm sure is still in musick is the trombonist Boo Elmer, who plays with the world renowned Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne & appears on the avant garde electronic chamber musick production Bang on a Can Live Vol. 1. Other than the Boo Elmer crediting, all the rest of the info on the band is conjecture. If anyone knows more about this great last wonder, please let me/us know.

The Blues Astronauts are: Paul Bloodgood - vocals; Michael Albrecht - guitars & bass on "Wake Up"; Jodie Myers - bass; guitar & vocals on "Wake Up"; Dan Perlman - drums & percussion; Boo Elmer - trombone; Willy MacMullen - harmonica.

All words by Bloodgood, all musick by Blues Astronauts except "Help Me" & "Wake Up" are traditional, arranged by Blues Astronauts. Recorded at Real Art Ways, Hartford,CT.


Year of Release: 1982
Label: Windsor Records BSAS-10
Genre: Experimental Blues, No Wave



Track List:
Side A
1. Tela
2. Sanctuary
3. Tabor
4. Marlboro

Side B
1. In this Life
2. Second Coming
3. Help Me
4. Wake Up
5. Joseph

Download: The Blues Astronauts - No Sanctuary

Download Size: 81.5MB

Ripped from surprisingly immaculate vinyl at glorious 320Kbps