Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra - Futuremuzik (1998)

Peter Thomas is best known for his work as a soundtrack composer. While he has done numerous scores, his most lauded work is probably the soundtrack he created for a German sci-fi television series Raumpatrouille Orion [Space Patrol Orion].

Thomas often recorded with what was dubbed the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra. The "orchestra" itself was a revolving door sort of group which featured various jazz and session musicians from around Germany. While his compositional style was sometimes unconventional, he was anything but controlling, as illustrated in this anecdote told by Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra member Ingfried Hoffman:

"...he came with a beer coaster into the studio on which he had written a few basic ideas. The rest was up to us. Only later did we realize the large degree of freedom he gave us made his music possible."

Thomas was also a technical innovator which gave his music a certain sound not found elsewhere at the time. In addition to things like his lauded use of the vocoder at the beginning of the Raumpatrouille Orion theme, he also worked alongside his sound engineer Herr Wicha in order to create a synthesizer they dubbed the "Tho-Wi-Phon." This revolutionary 12-oscillator synthesizer was so innovative that, as legend has it, the CIA actually became interested in the frequency range of the instrument and adapted elements of its design for use in sub-sonic weaponry. The synthesizer itself can be viewed on display in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Futuremuzik, features the music of the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra. I wanted to post the complete soundtrack to Raumpatrouille Orion, but that album is digitally distributed by a number of services. The good news is that this compilation does feature the legendary Raumpatrouille theme (listed as "Space Patrol"). Not only that, but you also get to sample "Gods from Strange Planets" which comes from Thomas' score for Chariots of The Gods?, a documentary based on Erich von Däniken's book of the same name. This compilation is a nice entry point for those unfamiliar with his work and remains one of my own most played albums.

Tracklist:

1) Space Patrol

2) Bolero on Moon Rocks

3) Lancet Bossa Nova

4) Evil Magician

5) Sinister Monk

6) The Spell of the Sinister One: Penelope/Fingertips/Brutal Beat/The Family Crypt/The

Corpse

7) Curse of the Hidden Vault

8) The Hound of Blackwood Castle

9) The Hunchback of Soho

10) Caught at Midnight

11) Monster

12) Happening in White

13) Theme for Airport

14) Gods From Strange Planets

15) Pardon me, Ms. Carmen

16) Traitors

Download: Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra - Futuremuzik (320 kbps)
Download Size: 130MB

Richard Band - H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator: The Definitive Edition (2003 - FLAC)

While doing research for my last post, I discovered that La-La Land also released this limited edition version of Re-Animator. Needless to say it quickly sold out, and remains out of print and no longer available for purchase from La-La. As usual, I have very little time on my hands, so I'm going to include a few excerpts from Wikipedia to provide everyone with more info.

This soundtrack is a Limited Edition CD re-release of the soundtrack to H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator, originally released on vinyl in 1985 by the Varèse Sarabande label. Only 3,000 hand-numbered CDs were released, which seems to be the standard number for Limited Edition releases by La-La. In addition to Band's original score, this version also contains a previously unreleased "reprise" of the Re-Animator theme, along with a bonus audio interview with Richard Band himself. All the tracks have been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, and released in stereo for the first time.

"Re-Animator is a 1985 science fiction horror film based on the H. P. Lovecraft story "Herbert West–Reanimator." Directed by Stuart Gordon, it was the first film in the Re-Animator series. The movie has become a cult film, driven by fans of Jeffrey Combs (who stars as Herbert West), extreme gore, and the successful combination of horror and comedy. The idea to make Re-Animator came from a discussion Stuart Gordon had with friends one night about vampire movies. He felt that there were too many Dracula movies and expressed a desire to see a Frankenstein movie. Someone asked if he had read Herbert West: Re-Animator by H.P. Lovecraft. Gordon had read most of the author's works but that story had been out of print. He went to the Chicago Public Library and read their copy.

Originally, Gordon was going to adapt Lovecraft's story for the stage but then writers Dennis Paoli and William Norris and Gordon decided to do it as a half-hour television pilot. The story was set around the turn of the century and they realized that it would be too expensive to recreate. They updated it to the present day in Chicago with the intention of using actors from the Organic Theater company. They were told that the half hour format was not salable and so they made it an hour, writing 13 episodes. Special effects technician Bob Greenberg, who had worked on John Carpenter's Dark Star, repeatedly told Gordon that the only market for horror was in feature films and introduced him to producer Brian Yuzna. Gordon showed Yuzna the script for the pilot and the 12 additional episodes. The producer liked what he read and convinced Gordon to shoot the film in Hollywood because of all the special effects involved. Yuzna made a distribution deal with Charles Band's Empire Pictures in return for post-production services

Re-Animator was released on October 18, 1985, in 129 theaters and grossed USD $543,728 on its opening weekend. It went on to make $2 million in North America, well above its $900,000 budget. It was well-received by critics, earning mostly positive reviews, and today has a 92% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "I walked out somewhat surprised and reinvigorated (if not re-animated) by a movie that had the audience emitting taxi whistles and wild goat cries". Entertainment Weekly ranked the film #32 on their list of "The Top 50 Cult Films", and also ranked it #14 on their "The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since '83" list. - Wikipedia"

I am relunctant to post albums that aren't at least 192kbps in quality, and unfortunately this album falls well below that at 128. I picked this up on a torrent site years ago and have yet to find a suitable quality replacement. My search only yielded a long trail of broken download links. I decided to go ahead and post it due to the fact that it is a very rare album, and with only 3,000 physical copies of this in existence, this may be the only way many people will be able to listen to it. I'm also hoping that someone will come forward and share a download link for a higher quality version of this. If any of you have this in 320 or higher, and are willing to share, please post the download link in the comments section of this post.

P.S. If any of you have a waffles.fm or What.cd invite, could you please shoot me an e-mail (address is in my profile). It would prevent the problem above from occurring again. I had accounts on both, but I was without internet access for several months, so they deleted my accounts due to inactivity.

Year of Release: 1985 (Original) | 2003 (Re-Release)
Label: La-La Land Records
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Science-Fiction, Horror
Bitrate: FLAC | Lossless

Track List:
1. Prologue/Main Title
2. Meg Looks For The Cat
3. Dan Falls Into Cellar
4. The Turning Point/First Reanimation/First Reanimator
5. Halsey Back To Life
6. Halsey Grabs The Boys
7. Welcome Back To Life
8. Meg and Hill In Office
9. West Tries Parts
10. Searching Hill's Office
11. Body and Soul
12. Love Theme
13. Corpses Just Want To Have Fun
14. Meg Is Gone...Well, Maybe Not/End Credits
15. Interview With Richard Band
16. Re-Animator Theme Reprise

Download: Richard Band - H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator: The Definitive Edition
Password: banzai
Download Size: 241MB

Note: My download link for this mysteriously disappeared. Fortunately "Strange Ranger" was kind enough to provide a download link for the soundtrack in FLAC, so I have replaced my link with his for the time being. I'll try to remember to reupload this when I get home for those who prefer to have it in mp3 format.

Richard Band - H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond (Limited Edition Soundtrack) (1990 - 320kbps)

Only recently have I come to realize the extent to which La-La Land Records has dedicated itself to releasing the soundtracks and scores to numerous cult classic science-fiction and horror films. I recently posted their compilation of scores for films produced by George Pal, which was released on La-La Land. This afternoon I spent nearly an hour writing a review for the Dominic Frontiere's Limited Edition score for The Outer Limits, only to find out that it was still available to purchase on their website. I was almost certain that it would be out of print, especially considering that only 3,000 copies were pressed and it was released two years ago. You can imagine my surprise whenever I realized that my next selection in line was also released by La-La Land. I chose to share Richard Band's score to H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond both because I already knew it was out of print, and because there is steady stream of devoted Lovecraft fans regularly visiting this blog.

Since I already wasted my entire afternoon writing a review that I can't use, and I need to start studying for my final college achievement tests, I'm forced to keep this post even more brief than some of my more recent posts. As with my other posts I'll briefly discuss the most important details regarding this release, and copy & paste the information about the film from the Wikipedia article.

The score is composed by Richard Band, a prolific composer of b-movie science-fiction and horror films, having composed scores for over 70 different films. However, this soundtrack stands above all the rest as the crowning achievement of his career, and would bring him numerous awards. Most notably, he took home the Best Music Award at the 1986 Barcelona Film Festival, beating out the scores for Aliens, Star Trek IV and Blue Velvet. It also won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Catalonian International Film Festival in Sitges Spain. Band is also known for frequently working with Director Stuart Gordon, a huge Lovecraft fan who has directed several film adaptions of his stories, including Re-Animator, From Beyond, Castle Freak (from The Outsider), Dagon, and most recently, a television series adaption of "The Dreams In The Witch-House for HBO's Masters of Horror series.

This score was released as a Limited Edition soundtrack by La-La Land Records in 1990, marking the first time that the soundtrack was officially released on CD. As with most of their Limited Edition releases, only 3,000 copies of this album were pressed, and this release has long been out of print. La-La Land has a reputation for producing some beautifully remastered material, and this release is no exception. Not only has it been fully restored and digitally remastered from the original master tapes from Richard Band's persona archive, but it has also been expanded to include previously unreleased material. I'm out of time for now, so I'm going to go ahead and post the Wikipedia article for "From Beyond". I hope you all enjoy this rare science-fiction/horror soundtrack.

"From Beyond is a 1986 American science fiction/ body horror film directed by Stuart Gordon, loosely based on the short story of the same title by H. P. Lovecraft, and was written by Dennis Paoli, Gordon and Brian Yuzna. The film stars Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Ken Foree and Ted Sorel.

From Beyond centers around a pair of scientists attempting to stimulate the pineal gland with a device called The Resonator. An unforeseen result of their experiments is the ability to perceive creatures from another dimension that proceed to drag the head scientist into their world, who returns as a grotesque shape-changing monster and preys upon the others at the laboratory.

MGM has released a restored unrated cut of the film with extras. From Beyond has previously only been released in its edited R-rated form. The MPAA had required cuts to S&M footage and gore to allow it to be R-rated. This missing footage was reinserted into the film and the restored, longer version was aired on the Monsters HD Channel (copies of this release have been distributed on the Internet). The DVD was released on September 11, 2007 - Wikipedia"


Year of Release: 1986 (Original) | 1990 (Re-Release)
Label: La-La Land Records
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Science-Fiction, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
1. From Beyond - Original Main Title
2. The Resonator and Main Title
2. We Saw Creatures
4. Back to the Pretorious House
5. Crawford's Anxiety
6. Pretorius' Madness
7. She's So Pretty
8. The Lampre From Beyond
9. The Mutations
10. Escape From The Mental Hospital & Beyond The Pretorius House
11. The Final Battle In The Beyond
12. Catherine Survives...But
13. End Title

Download: Richard Band - H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond
Download Size: 105MB

The Fantasy Film Music of George Pal (Limited Edition) (2004 - 320kbps)

Sci-Fi September is coming to a close, but I’m doing my best to fit in as many albums as possible before it does. Today’s selection is a limited edition compilation of the science-fiction and fantasy music of George Pal. This was released in limited numbers by La-La Land Records in 2004, with only 3,000 copies being pressed and hand-numbered. Each of the scores found within have been remastered from their original recordings. For some of these scores this compilation would mark the first time they were officially released. Of course this score is now out of print, and no longer available to purchase at La-La Land Records.

George Pal was a Hungarian-American animator and film producer, who principally worked with the genres of science-fiction and fantasy. The scores contained on these discs were all composed between the late ‘50s and early ‘70s. Scores for three of the most recognized films he ever produced are noticeably absent from this compilation though: “When Worlds Collide”, “The War of the Worlds” and “Destination Moon”. This is due to the fact that Paramount Pictures, which owns the distributing rights to these films, did not take part in producing this compilation.

The compilation contains scores composed by Russell Garcia, Leigh Harline, Miklós Rózsa, Ken E. Jones, Frank De Vol and John Phillip Sousa . Each of them bring their own unique approach to the genre, though most of them incorporate methods which were typical of sci-fi scores from this era; however, there are a few exceptions to be found. Curious woodwind melodies guide along the more peaceful and narrative moments of the films, heavy percussion and brass bring home the action, while the occasional novelty instruments or sound effects are introduced for the most mysterious and unbelievable sequences.My personal favorite out of the bunch would have to be the score for The Power, with the highlight being his schizophrenic cue “Death on the Centrifuge”. I’m out of time for now, but I have listed each of the films below, along with their respective film score composer, and the year it was released.

I have also included scans of the fully-illustrated 16 page booklet that accompanied this collection. It features selections of classic promotional art, rare behind-the-scenes photos and in-depth notes of George Pal, his films, the composers and the spectacular scores they created. I hope you all enjoy this wonderful collection of science-fiction score, which is surely to become even more rare as the years go by. Already copies are selling for well over $100, and I expect that figure to continue to climb, making the probability of owning a physical copy very unlikely. As always, please let me know what you thought of this release in the comments section. Also, "Sci-Fi September" is coming to a close, so if any of you have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to post them there also.


Year of Release: 2004
Label: La-La Land Records
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Science-Fiction, Fantasy
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:

Atlantis The Lost Continent
1. Prologue/Main Title
2. Love Scene/Submarine Scene
3. Fanfare
4. Rebellion & Murder/Stabs/Rumbles/Madness/Justice/Miracle – Finale


The Time Machine - Russell Garcia (1960)
5. Prologue/Main Title *
6. Montage Cues
7. The Future Jungle *
8. Filby's Theme-Short Version

The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao - Leigh Harline (1964)
9. Main Title
10. Apollonius
11. Pan's Dance
12. Farewell/Finale

The Power - Miklós Rózsa (1968)
13. Prelude
14. Death on the Centrifuge
15. Viva La Amour
16. Transformation
17. The Killer Killed-Finale

Tom Thumb - Ken E. ones (1958)
18. Main Title *

The Wonderful Worlds of the Brothers Grimm - Leigh Harline (1962)
19. Prologue/Main Title *

Doc Savage-Man of Bronze - Frank Devol (1975)
20. Main Theme
21. The Assassin/After Him
22. Doc Confronts The Assassin/Assassin Jumps
23. Radio Source Music
24. Doc and The Girl
25. The Journey
26. Final Confrontation
27. The Happy Ending
28. Theme Song from Doc Savage-Man of Bronze *
(Lyrics by Don Black, Arrangement by Frank DeVol, Music by John Phillips Sousa)

* These have been taken from the best available sources. In some cases the original master recordings have been lost or otherwise compromised. As a result, sound quality on some tracks will vary.

Download: VA - The Fantasy Film Music of George Pal
Download Size: 118MB

Jimmie Haskell - California '99

Here is a truly odd addition to "Sci-Fi September." Yes, this is another Jimmie Haskell album, however this is a whole different type of beast than the space-age pop style stuff found on the previous offering of Countdown!

The album was originally released in 1971. Jimmie Haskell was the arranger and conductor for the album along with being the composer for the original music found throughout. The album features guest vocals from a number of artists including Joe Walsh (James Gang/The Eagles), Denny Doherty (Mammas and the Pappas), Big Wanda and the Wombats, Merry Clayton, and Clydie King. Bill Szymczyk produced and engineered the album.

The actual release of this album has an incredibly unique fold-out cover that provides a detailed history of the fictional "California" starting from 1975 and going up until 1998. The cover alone makes this a desirable LP to get your hands on as it is rather entertaining in its own right.

This is a concept album based upon a story written by Tom Gamache. The narrative follows the story of a young-man who is out to follow his state-mandated "life progam." Along the way we find out that in this fictional world, America failed as a country and is now known as California. A Big Brother-style government is now in control and things don't seem to be too great on the whole. We find out about all of this through a mixture of the narrator straight forwardly discussing "historical events" and from exposure to "headlines" and auditory messages encountered throughout the album.

The album mixes original compositions and covers with mixed success. Some of the cover tunes, such as "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" [vocals by Jimmy Witherspoon] are decent tunes, but why they are on this album is rather confusing. By contrast, the original compositions are what grab my interest the most. "Appopopoulisberg" is the album's longest track and serves primarily to introduce us to the narrator. However, as the track progresses we are treated to some fun electronic sounds, a quick burst of stringed instruments, and finally cooled off with a sort of waltz. Another track of note,"a) intro b)prelude", starts off sounding like a library music inspired Moog jam, but then quickly explores some louder brass pieces reminiscent of soundtrack-style tunes.

The overall result of the album is somewhat confusing. It isn't by any means a masterpiece. In honesty, I'm often left trying to decide if this was meant as a serious cautionary tale or if it is a tongue-in-cheek send up of concept albums. The truth is probably somewhere in-between. Despite some uninspired moments on the album, overall I think it overcomes its failings. It is an entertaining listen and showcases some of Haskell's great arranging talents on numerous tracks.

If you want some reviews of the album by far better writers than me, check out these links:

http://theband.hiof.no/albums/california_99.html

http://ironleg.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/the-sounds-of-the-millennium-2-california-99-preludeto-claudia-on-thursday/

Year of Release: 1971
Label: ABC Records
Genres: Experimental, Science-Fiction
Bitrate: 320kbps


Track List:
1. Overture
2. Appopopoulisberg
3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Vocal: Jimmy Witherspoon)
4. To Claudia on Thursday (Vocal: Denny Doherty)
5. a)intro b)Prelude
6. Jessica Stone (Vocal: Joe Walsh)
7. California Fairy Tale (Vocal: Joe Walsh)
8. Barbara
9. Underture

Download: Jimmie Haskell - California '99
Download Size: 88.65MB

H.P. Lovecraft - Weird Tales October & December 1937 (E-Books)

Two years ago I shared a large amount of H.P. Lovecraft related audiobooks, e-books, and comic books for "Halloween Countdown 2008". They have proven to be my most visited posts month after month, despite the fact that they were posted two years ago. So I figured that all of you Lovecraft enthusiasts out there would enjoy a few magazine scans of Weird Tales, the magazine that many of Lovecraft's stories first appeared in. Lovecraft's writing can be categorized as both horror and science-fiction, or as Lovecraft liked to call it "Cosmic Horror", which makes him fair game for "Sci-Fi September". Today I bring to you two issues of Weird Tales magazine in e-book format, featuring stories by H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard and many others. A complete list of the authors and their stories contained within these issues can be found below. This is actually a .cbr (comic book reader) file, which consists of complete image scans of the original magazine, rather than a simple text file.

The two issues of Weird Tales found below were published in October (Volume 30, Issue 4) and December (Volume 30, Issue 6) of 1937. While Weird Tales published stories by numerous science-fiction and horror writers, including a few who would become masters in the genre, they are renowned for including the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. The October 1937 issue contains the first published edition of the novellette, "The Shunned House", originally written in 1924. The December 1937 issue features the short story, "Polaris", originally written in 1918, and first published in the December 1920 issue of the amateur journal the Philosopher. Both issues also work by two authors who were immensely influenced by Lovecraft, and corresponded with him throughout his lifetime. Both issues contain poems by Lovecraft's friend, and famous pulp fiction author, Robert E. Howard. Today he is best known for creating the character Conan The Barbarian, and considered the father of the "Sword and Sorcery" genre. Howard's poem, "Which Will Scarcely Be Understood", is included in the October issue, while "Fragments" is included in the December issue. "Fane of the Black Pharaoh", a short story by Robert Bloch, appears in the December 1937 issue. He was considered by many to be Lovecraft's protégé, and would eventually achieve a great degree of fame for writing the novel and screenplay for "Psycho". Unfortunately, I'm honestly not familiar with any of the authors credited in these issues beyond those three.

I have posted plenty of information about Lovecraft here in the past, and information is also readily available online, so I will spare you the full introduction. For those unfamiliar with his work, he is considered as one of the most important and influential authors of science-fiction, horror, and short stories of the 20th Century. The vast majority of his work which was published in his lifetime appeared in pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in the early 1900s.

As I mentioned before, the files are .cbr (Comic Book Reader) files, which are virtually the same as .rar files, using the same compression method. You can use Winrar, or any other program that will handle .rar files to extract the images if you want to view each one seperately, but the most common method for viewing .cbr files is with a comic book reading program. If you're just looking for a simple viewer, then I would suggest using CDisplay, but if you want a fully featured program then I would suggest ComicRack. CDisplay is one of the most popular readers due to it's small size and simplicity, although it hasn't been updated since 2008. The installer for ComicRack is a bit larger, but it is actively developed and is probably the most popular .cbr reader at this time. Both CDisplay and ComicRack are freeware programs. If any of you would like a few recommendations for blogs that post comic books and magazines in .cbr format just hit me up in the comments section.

Weird Tales - October 1937
(Volume 30, Issue 6)

Title Issue: MULti-WT0165
Publisher: Popular Fiction Publishing Co., Chicago, IL
Editor: Farnsworth Wright
Price: $0.25
Pages: 128
Cover: Margaret Brundage
.
Serials/Complete Novels:
"The Lake of Life [Part 2 of 3]" by Edmond Hamilton

Novelettes:
"Pledged to the Dead" by Seabury Quinn
"The Shunned House" by H. P. Lovecraft

Short Stories:
"The Golgotha Dancers" by Manly Wade Wellman
"Here Lies" by Howard Wandrei [as H. W. Guernsey]
"The Homicidal Diary" by Earl Peirce, Jr.
"The Last of Mrs. DeBrugh" by H. Sivia
"The Long Arm" by Franz Habl
"The Purple Cincture" by H. Thompson Rich
"Tiger Cat" by David H. Keller, M.D.

Poems:
"After Two Nights of the Ear-ache" by Francis Hard
"To a Skull on My Bookshelf" by Elizabeth Virgina Raplee
"Which Will Scarcely Be Understood" by Robert E. Howard

Weird Tales - December 1937
(Volume 30, Issue 6)

Title Issue: MULti-WT0167
Publisher: Popular Fiction Publishing Co., Chicago, IL
Editor: Farnsworth Wright
Price: $0.25
Pages: 128
Cover: Virgil Finlay

Serials/Complete Novels:
"The Voyage of the Neutralia [Part 2 of 3]" by Bruce Wallis

Novelettes:
"Child of Atlantis" by Edmond Hamilton
"Flames of Vengeance" by Seabury Quinn
"The Sea-Witch" by Nictzin Dyalhis

Short Stories:
"Fane of the Black Pharaoh" by Robert Bloch
"The Keen Eyes and Ears of Kara Kedi" by Claude Farrère
"Laocoon" by Bassett Morgan (Weird Tales Reprint)
"Uneasy Lie the Drowned" byDonald Wandrei


Short Fiction:
"The Black Stone Statue" by Mary Elizabeth Counselman
"Polaris" by H.P. Lovecraft


Poems:
"Fragment" by Robert E. Howard
"The Old House on the Hill" by Winona Montgomery Gilliland

Extra Features:
The Eyrie(A department in which readers discuss weird tales)

Download: Weird Tales - October 1937 (Vol. 30, Issue 4)
Download Size: 57MB

Download: Weird Tales - December 1937 (Vol. 30, Issue 6)
Download Size: 66MB

Harlan Ellison - Jeffty Is Five (Audiobook)

Continuing with "Sci-Fi September", I thought that I would share another audiobook from the legendary sci-fi author, Harlan Ellison. I was delighted to see a few Ellison fans in the comments section of "Ellison Reads Ellison". As with my previous post, this audiobook features Ellison reading another one of his own short stories, in this case "Jeffty Is Five". The story was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1977, and included in the "Shatterday Collection" three years later. I hope those of you who are accustomed to me primarily posting music here won't mind the break from tradition, as I have a few more items that I would like to post for "Sci-Fi September" that aren't music related.

As with most Harlan Ellison recordings from the '70s and '80s, this little gem is extremely rare. A very limited number of cassettes were released on Ellison's own label, The Harlan Ellison Record Collection, in 1982. The download provided below was ripped from one of these extremely rare cassettes, of which only 500 were released. I'm short on time, so I hope you all won't mind if I post a plot summary from Wikipedia, which does a better job of giving a condensed description than I could.

"Jeffty is Five" concerns a boy who never grows past the age of five — physically, mentally, or (oddly enough) chronologically. The narrator, Jeffty's friend from the age of five well into adulthood, discovers that Jeffty's radio plays serial programs no longer produced on radio stations that no longer exist. They are contemporary, all-new shows, however; not re-runs. He can buy comics such as The Shadow and Doc Savage that are, again, all-new although they are no longer being produced, not to mention long discontinued pulp magazines with new stories by Stanley G. Weinbaum, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard despite the authors being long dead. Jeffty can even watch films that are adaptations of old pulp fiction novels like Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. The narrator is privy to this world because of Jeffty's trust, while the rest of the world (the world that grew as Jeffty did not) is not. When Jeffty's world and the "real" world intersect Jeffty loses his grip on his own world, eventually meeting a tragic end. It won the short story Nebula Award in 1977 and Hugo Award in 1978. It was also voted in a 1999 online poll of Locus readers to be the best short story of all time." - Wikipedia

I should point out that the bitrate of the audio is an abysmal 56kbps. Ordinarily I would refrain from posting a recording consisting of such inferior audio quality; however, I have decided to go ahead and post it for two reasons, the first being that this recording is so extremely rare, and the second being that the recording is still very listenable despite the low bitrate. If it were music released at such a low bitrate it would be unlistenable due to the amount of distortion, but since this recording strictly consists of dialougue it simply sounds like the nearly 30 year old recording that it is. For those who demand better audio quality, you can find a recording of "Jeffty Is Five" on the audiobook compilation "Greatest Science Fiction Stories of the 20th Century". I may post this compilation before the end of the month, providing it is still out of print, as I believe it is. I hope that you Ellison fans enjoy this rare gem, and hopefully this will serve as an introduction to those who are unfamiliar with his work. As always, please share your opinions, and feel free to post any requests you might have for additional Harlan Ellison recordings in the comments section.

Year of Release: 1982
Label: The Harlan Ellison Collection
Genre: Audiobook, Science-Fiction, Short Story
Bitrate: 56kbps

Download: Harlan Ellison - Jeffty Is Five
Download Size: 18MB

Harlan Ellison - Harlan! Harlan Ellison Reads Harlan Ellison (1976 Audiobook)

While Harlan Ellison might not be a household name, he has developed a reputation among science-fiction fans as one of the greatest sci-fi writers to ever live, and perhaps one of the greatest short-story writers as well. Ellison brought different approach to science-fiction when he broke on the scene. His stories often dared the reader to question the status quo, ponder about their role within the universe, and contemplate the consequences our technological innovations might have on the future. Several years ago I was introduced to Ellison by my friend Brian, who occasionally posts on this blog as Psyche Zenobia. He let me borrow a paperback collection of Ellison short-stories entitled "Paingod and Other Delusions". Although it contained one of Ellison's most celebrated works, "Repent, Harlequin! said the Ticktockman", Paingod stood out to me as being one of the most original and though provoking science-fiction short stories I had ever read. My girlfriend bought me a massive collection several years later, "The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective (Revised and Expanded Edition)", which contains a great deal of his work. I now rank Ellison, alongside Lovecraft and Poe, as one of my favorite writers of science-fiction/horror short stories.

In the mid-'70s Harlan Ellison started bringing his stories to life on audiobooks. At that point in time audiobooks hadn't managed to gain much popularity, but Ellison's decision to read his own written material helped to expose a large number of people to the concept, especially those interested in science-fiction. He also raised the bar for the quality of audio book standards by injecting a bit of personality, setting them apart from many other very dry and sleep-educing recordings. His vinyl audio book recordings from the '70s remain harder to find than most of his out-of-print books and often fetch a hefty price. In the years to follow a number of these recordings were reissued on cassette collections, which also remain extremely difficult to find. "Harlan! Harlan Ellison Reads Harlan Ellison" was originally released in 1976 by the Alternative World Recordings label. It was rereleased on Ellison's own label The Harlan Ellison Recording Collection (HE101) in 1981. Unfortunately it is now currently out of print. This album features Ellison reading both "Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman" and "Shatterday".

"Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman" is one of the most reprinted short stories in the English language, it's popularity transcending the science-fiction genre. Ellison wrote it during a single six-hour session, then submitted it to a Milford Writer's Workshop the following day. It first appeared in the sci-fi magazine Galaxy in 1965. It would go on to win the Nebula Award in 1965, then the Hugo Award for best short story in 1966. Stylistically, the story is remarkable for purposely ignoring many "rules of good writing", including a paragraph about jelly beans which is almost entirely one run-on sentence. The story is a satirical look at a dystopian future where time is strictly regulated. In this future, being late is not merely an inconvenience, but a crime. The crime carries a hefty penalty in that a proportionate amount of time is "revoked" from one's life. The ultimate consequence is to run out of time and be "turned off". The story focuses on a man who, as the anarchical Harlequin, engages in whimsical rebellion against the schedule kept by the Master Timekeeper, or "Ticktockman".

The second track on the disc is Shatterday, written in 1975, and later reprinted in a collection by the same name in the early '80s. The story alludes to Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” in its portrait of a man undergoing a physical transformation which he cannot control or comprehend. The character discovers he has literally split into two distinct people. The dark doppleganger attempts to overtake the life of what he considers to be his inferior twin. Although It didn't receive a fraction of the attention that "Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman" did, it was nominated for a Hugo Award, and still stands as a well written story in it's own right. When the new Twilight Zone television series premiered in 1985, "Shatterday" was the first episode that aired. A young Bruce Willis starred as the story's protagonist, Peter Jay Novins.

I have a few other audiobooks by Harlan Ellison which I will be sharing over the next couple of days. I hope you all enjoy these two outstanding stories by one of the most creative writers in the science-fiction genre. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of these.

Year of Release: 1976
Label: Alternative World Recordings
Genre: Science-Fiction, Audiobook
Bitrate: 128kbps

Tracklist:
1. Harlan Ellison - Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman (1965)
2. Harlan Ellison - Shatterday (1975)

Download: Harlan! Harlan Ellison Reads Harlan Ellison
Download Size: 50MB

Gottfried Huppertz - Metropolis: Complete Motion Picture Score (1927)

In 1927 Fritz Lang delivered what would be one of the most influential and controversial science-fiction movies of all time, Metropolis. Metropolis is a futuristic urban dystopia, and the film makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and owners in capitalism.
In my opinion it was easily the most innovative film from the silent era for a number of different reasons. Although silent films don't have a large audience today, Metropolis remains as one of the few films that is still able to stun people with it's futuristic appearance and effects, and it would remain many decades before it would be equaled in this department.





The set utilized large models for the city's architecture and infrastucture, inspired by contemporary Modernism and Art Deco. The futuristic mega-city of Metropolis consists of soaring skyscrapers, linked by sky-bridges that criss-cross the skies between them, which dominate the sprawling skyline. Traffic jams crowd the streets below, while flying machines soar through the skies above. All of these scenes are startlingly similiar to those that might be found in a modern day city such as Tokyo or New York. There is also a female robot, which also looks shockingly modern. and directly influenced the design of Star War's famous droid C3PO.





The film would eventually become a major source of controversy. Fritz Lang collaborated with his wife, Thea von Harbou, while writing the screenplay for Metropolis. In 1932 the couple were divorced after von Harbou announced her decision to join the Nazi party to Lang. The film became increasingly notorious while the Third Reich was in power, as it was a source of fascination and inspiration within the Nazi party. Joseph Goebbells was particularly influenced by the film's message, and in 1928 he delivered a speech that was obviously inspired by the film: "The political bourgeoisie is about to leave the stage of history. In its place advance the oppressed producers of the head and hand, the forces of Labour, to begin their historical mission".




Unfortunately nearly 80 years would pass before the film would be seen in it's entirety after it first premiered in Berlin in 1927. The film was heavily edited in order to meet the preferred 90 minute mark generally preferred by American theatres at that time. The original premier cut eventually disappeared and a quarter of the film was long believed to be lost forever. After 75 years a restoration was comissioned, which increased the running time to 124 minutes, and restored the original story line using stills and intertitles to substitute for the missing footage. In 2008 a copy of the original film was discovered in the Musuem of Cinema Archive, enabling 25 more minutes of lost footage to be added to 2001 reconstruction, thus finally filling in most of the gaps after nearly 81 years.



Unfortunately the score would share the same fate as the film, with several decades having passed before it was eventually re-recorded. Gottfried Huppertz composed the score, intended to be performed by large orchestras in a pit, located in front of the screen. The score included many elements inspired by the music of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, plus some mild modernism for the city of the workers and the use of the popular Dies Irae for some apocalyptic imagery. The score was rerecorded for the DVD released in 2002, with Berndt Heller conducting the 65 piece Rundfunksinfonieorchester Saarbrücken orchestra. It was the first release of the reasonably reconstructed movie accompanied by the music that was originally intended for it. The score I'm making available for you to download was ripped from the DVD released by Kino in 2003. The score was never offically released, making this rip the first recording of the original score to ever be released since 1927.

I hope that you enjoy this collection of music, not only for the music itself, but as a piece of cinematic history that no sci-fi fan, vintage cinema lover or soundtrack/score collector should be without. Please let me know what you think of the score, and if you haven't watched the film, please give it a shot and let me know what you thought. I would recommend watching the restored Kino DVD, as the restoration looks absolutely amazing. I have included a trailer for the DVD release below the download link for the score. The film itself now falls under public domain; however, the restored versions are protected by copyright. You can find an unrestored version on http://archive.org, although I would recommend hunting down the restored Kino version in order to fully appreciate how well the film has held up over the years. Enjoy!

Year Composed: 1927
Year of Release: 2003
Label: N/A (Bootleg Audio Rip from DVD) | DVD released by Kino
Genre: Classical, Soundtrack/Score
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List - Disc 1:
01. The Metropolis Theme 0:00:49
02. Prelude / Shift Change 0:02:45
03. The Workers City 0:00:30
04. The Club of the Sons 0:00:32
05. The Eternal Gardens 0:05:25
06. The Moloch Machine 0:03:38
07. (to the) New Tower of Babel 0:04:22
08. Dialogue With the Father 0:03:16
09. Suspicious Plans 0:03:41
10. Freder Engages Josaphat 0:02:34
11. Freder Meest Georgy 0:03:12
12. Rotwang, the Inventor 0:02:44
13. The Machine Man 0:05:44
14. Maria's Sermon 0:05:06
15. Hired Hands for Wages 0:00:47
16. BABEL 0:01:02
17. The Power's Answer 0:03:45
18. Joh Intervenes 0:02:52
19. Rotwang Persecutes Maria 0:03:34

Tracklist - Disc 2:
01. Freder in the Cathedral 0:02:39
02. Freder Goes to Josaphat's Home 0:00:29
03. Rotwang Hassles Maria 0:02:31
04. The Transformation 0:05:39
05. Freder's Collapse 0:04:22
06. The Dance of the Whore of Babylon 0:01:56
07. Death Descends Upon the City 0:01:04
08. Josaphat's Report for Freder 0:00:58
09. The Report, Continued 0:01:12
10. The Report, Conclusion 0:01:09
11. A Call for Rebellion 0:05:02
12. The Storming of the Heart Machine 0:03:46
13. Destroying the Heart Machine 0:04:58
14. The Doom of the Worker's City 0:03:15
15. Saving the Children 0:03:50
16. Witch Hunt 0:05:39
17. A Stake in front of the Cathedral 0:02:39
18. Rotwang Chases Maria 0:02:43
19. Rotwang's End 0:02:17
20. Finale 0:02:38
21. End Credits 0:01:06

Download: Gottfried Huppertz - Metropolis: Complete Score - Disc 1
Download: Gottfried Huppertz - Metropolis: Complete Score - Disc 2

Guest Blogger J-Unit 1 Returns For Sci-Fi September

Those of you who have been following the blog already know that I have declared this month "Sci-Fi September" for Digital Meltd0wn. I'm pleased to be able to announce that a J-Unit 1, will be returning to guest blog for the occasion. J-Unit 1 is the founder of The Deuce Project, a science fiction themed radio show broadcast on 89.1FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He also runs a blog http://89deuce.blogspot.com/ by the same name where he shares podcasts of the previously aired radio broadcasts.

I'm a big fan of all things sci-fi, but since J-Unit 1 exclusively blogs about sci-fi music, he brings with him an extensive knowledge on the subject that far exceeds that of my own. I'm sure that you will all enjoy the rare gems he has in store for you all. Be sure to drop by his blog for more sci-fi goodness.

I may not post much myself during the next week. I have finals coming up, so I will need to devote some time to studying. I could post a lot more if I didn't write reviews for the albums, which accounts for the vast majority of the time that it takes me to post an album. so if you would prefer me to do this please let me know. Also, please let me know if any of you have any requests for material that you would like to see posted here, or if you have any recommendations for albums that I could share with everyone.

Akira Ifukube - Rodan (1956)

Allow me to introduce my favorite composer of film scores from the 1950's era, Akira Ifukube. Not only did he compose the score to the most influential monster movie of all time, Godzilla, but he was also the source of numerous amazing monster movie scores throughout the '50s and '60s. Ifukube had a penchant for composing some of the most menacing music in the history of cinema, creating an atmosphere of dread and certain doom like no other.

Legend has it that Ifukube made the decision to become a composer at the age of 14 after hearing a radio performance of Igor Stravinsky's ballet, The Rite of Spring. He initially made a living working as a forestry officer and lumber processor, while working as a composer during his spare time. As World War II was drawing to a close, the Japanese Imperial Army commissioned Ifukube to perform a study on the elasticity and vibratory strength of wood. While performing this work, he suffered radiation exposure injuries after being exposed to x-rays without protection, and decided to abandon his forestry work and become a full-time composer and teacher. From 1946-53 he was a professor at the Nihon University College of Art, during which he composed his first film score for the film The End of the Silver Mountains. In 1954 he would cement his name in history by composing the score to one of the most famous science-fiction movies of all time, Godzilla. Ifukube also created Godzilla's trademark roar – produced by rubbing a resin-covered leather glove along the loosened strings of a double bass – and its footsteps, created by striking an amplifier box. He would go on to compose the scores for a number of other kaiju (monster) movies produced by Toho, including several Godzilla sequels, as well as several contemporary classical and traditional folk pieces.



Two years after he composed the score for Godzilla, Toho hired Ifukube to compose the score for yet another kaiju film, Rodan (Sora no Daikaijū Radon in Japanese), which would be released in the United States a year later under the name Rodan! The Flying Monster. While a couple of cues from the Godzilla score, "Godzilla Comes Ashore" and "Fury of Godzilla", were two of the most menacing pieces of music composed at that time, many of the other pieces were marches, and failed to capture the atmosphere of dread. With the score to Rodan, Ifukube saturated the entire score with an atmosphere very similar to the the two Godzilla tracks I just mentioned. The heavy brass slowly and methodically builds, creating a feeling of impending doom and dread throughout. Low-end piano chords which are violently struck give the listener a feeling of desolation and hopelessness. There are a few tracks diverge from this formula, but the score as a whole remains a much more menacing piece than the Godzilla score. As I mentioned before, Ifukube regularly credited Russian composer Igor Stravinsky as an inspirational figure. I believe that Stravinski's "Firebird Suite" in particular may have served as inspiration for his numerous monster movie scores, as there are distinguishable similarities that can be heard when listening to Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and Ifukube's Godzilla score. If this is the case, Ifukube was most likely simply paying tribute to a man he admired, rather than trying to duplicate Stravinsky's work. He was able to distance himself from Stravinski's influence by developing his own distinct style, which is noticeably heavier and more raw than that of Stravisnky.

The score provided in the download below was originally released by Futureland/Toshiba EMI Japan in 1996, and unfortunately it is currently out of print. It was the first volume of twelve in a series entitled "Toho Monster Movie Selections", released between 1996-1997. The series consists of all of Akira Ifukube's non-Godzilla sci-fi scores. As with all other releases in the series, it contains several sound effects tracks (tracks 30-38), as well as audio from a pair of Rodan trailers (track #39) in addition to the original score. There are also several variations of the main theme, along with different takes of other cues. The theme variations may become a bit repetitious for some listeners; however, I personally enjoy the diversity offered on this release, although I also believe that the isolated original score delivers a much better overall listening experience. As with several other posts, I have neglected to include a track list due to the large number of tracks on this release, and lack of available time on my end. I have several albums that were included in this series, along with several Ifukube scores to Godzilla scores, and even a few scores from other Japanese monster movies that weren't composed by Ifukube. I may end up posting a few more of these, so please leave a comment if there are any particular albums that you would like to see, and let me know what you think of this release if you have the time.

Film Release: 1956
Album Release: 1996
Label: Futureland/Toshiba EMI Japan (TYCY-5498)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Science-Fiction, Classical
Bitrate: 192kbps

Download: Akira Ifukube - Rodan
Download Size: 86MB

Albert Glasser - Earth vs. the Spider (Unreleased Score)

I thought it was time to do something a bit different here at DM. In the past I have generally tried to deliver an eclectic selection of albums, with the countdown to Halloween being the exception to that rule. Many of you have expressed your approval of the eclectic nature of this blog in the past, so I hope that you won't mind a temporary break from tradition. I thought it would be interesting to introduce the occasional "monthly theme" for the blog, and I have decided to kick things off by announcing "Sci-Fi September".

While I'm a big fan of science fiction in general, I plan to focus on posting soundtracks to classic sci-fi films, although I will be posting some more contemporary material also. I may even throw in a few sci-fi surprises that are completely unrelated to music too. I would like to start by sharing a bootleg soundtrack to the classic science-fiction movie, "Earth vs the Spider". "Earth vs. The Spider" was released in 1958, and it follows the same generic plot of many monster movies from this era: A monster is discovered on the outskirts of town by a pair of teenagers, who then promptly warn the town sheriff and other townspeople of the imminent danger, only to have the sheriff doubt them until it's too late. The director of the movie, Bert I. Gordon, shamelessly ripped off a number of more successful films during his directing career, with Earth vs the Spider being an obvious ripoff of the more commercially successful "Tarantula", which was released three years prior. There aren't many redeeming qualities to be found in the film, other than its unintended comedic value. The acting was atrocious, the screenplay terrible, and the plot holes are numerous, and yet somehow this movie remains one of Gordon's more enjoyable films. On a positive note, while the special effects are primitive by today's standards, they have held up well compared to similar films. Gordon deserves credit for making the decision to transpose the spider on to the screen, rather than create a ridiculous looking giant prop spider.

As with many other soundtracks to movies that achieved cult status for being so bad, the quality of this soundtrack far exceeds the movie it accompanied, and is easily the best thing about the film. The score was composed by Albert Glasser, a prolific composer of B-Movie scores. From the 1940's on to the 1960's, Glasser composed scores for approximately 200 films, 300 television shows, and 450 radio shows. Now that's what I call prolific! The film was featured on Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (Episode 611: Last of the Wild Horses), in which the character Dr. Forrester exclaims "Albert Glasser: the man who holds you down and pummels you with music". That statement couldn't be more accurate, as Glasser was well known for delivering scores that were like an avalanche of heavy brass and savage percussion arrangements. In my opinion Earth vs. the Spider was easily one of his best scores. Not only did Glasser relentlessly pummel the listener with the usual brass and percussion, but he also included an instrument that has become synonymous with classic sci-fi movies, the theramin. This score contains some of the best theramin music that I have ever heard. In fact, I would say that it almost surpasses Bernard Herrmann's score for "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and easily crushes the boring theramin compositions of Clara Rockmore in my opinion.

I was unable to find a proper tracklist for this release. An official soundtrack was released, which contains only 12 tracks, but this is a bootleg release of the complete score, containing cues that aren't on the official release. I do know that this was put together by someone named "filmpac" if that helps. Perhaps someone will come along and help us clear up this issue. I feel as if I should also point out the reason the movie poster above displays the title as "The Spider", which isn't a mistake on my part. In order to capitalize on the success of "The Fly", which was released earlier that year, the title was changed to "The Spider" on all promotional material for the film. I'm out of time for now, but I hope you enjoy this classic sci-fi score, and those that will follow it in the near future.

Year of Release: 1958
Label: N/A (Bootleg Release)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Science-Fiction
Bitrate: 320kbps

Download: Albert Glasser - Earth vs. the Spider (Sharebee)
Mirror: Albert Glasser - Earth vs. the Spider (Mediafire)
Download Size: 89MB

Digital Meltd0wn Turns 4 Years Old

Digital Meltd0wn is officially four years old. Looking back, I never would have guessed that DM would have evolved the way it has over the last four years. I have learned so much more about music during this time, collaborated with many individuals who share the same love and appreciation for music, corresponded with and promoted many different independent artists, been introduced to countless fellow music bloggers and blogs, and interacted with a plethora of readers from around the world. Digital Meltd0wn has expanded from being just a blog, to compromising an entire underground music network consisting of the Digital Meltd0wn Music Blog Aggregator/Blogroll, along with accounts on various different social networking sites. Since this is a special occasion, I hope you will excuse what I'm sure will be a lengthy post, as I would like to take the time to thank the people who have made it possible for DM to continue to exist over the years.

During the last four years I have considered calling it quits on many different occasions. In addition to everything I do with DM, this past year I have been attending school 40 hours a week, working 35 hours a week, trying to keep my girlfriend of four years happy, and maintaining a long distance relationship with my son. Life certainly hasn't been easy on me during this time. I recently found out that my girlfriend has a tear near her spinal column, which can't be operated on, and is only going to continue to get worse. This has been the latest in a long chain of problems I have faced. I suppose my love for music and the desire to share it with others has always managed to trump my inclination to call it quits due to these difficulties. My own ambition still wouldn't have been enough on it's own though. Most recently it has been NØ who has shouldered the load and made it possible for this blog to continue to exist. Despite running his own blog, Nothin' Sez Somethin', he was kind enough to agree to guest blog here during a difficult time for me, eventually deciding to stay onboard and contribute full time. Sab has also recently contributed in the recent past, and although her own personal projects are keeping her busy at the moment, she will continue to contribute here in the future as well. I also have Psyche Zenobia, AllyWonderland, Psycho Cat, Fillzy and JUnit1 to thank for their contributions here in the past.

I also want to take the time to thank my girlfriend, Rhiannon, for all the support she has provided me throughout the years. I started this blog shortly after we first got together. She has never been one to spend very much time on a computer, and she doesn't share my obsessive love for music, but she has always been supportive of me in all my endevours related to DM. Every time I have come to the conclusion that it would be best for me to call it quits, or take some time off due to some problem we face, she has always been quick to tell me not to give up on doing what I love. She has always encouraged me to keep doing this, even though it absorbs a great deal of my time, and despite the fact that we don't get to see each other as often as we did before I was attending school and working every day. You will probably never see her comment or appear in any form here, unless it was to announce that I was incapable of posting for some reason, but in my eyes she is a like a behind the scenes staff member who deserves just as much credit for the supportive role that she plays.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all you readers out there. I've had the pleasure of "meeting" many of you over the years, and your kind words always serve as encouragement to keep doing this also. Judging from the comments left here and elsewhere, I feel as if we have been doing a good job of delivering rare and unique music to you, and the good news is that we have even greater things in store for the future. I'm sure we will encounter some bumps in the rode along the way, but we will keep moving forward. I hope that the music we share here has brought as much pleasure to you as it has for us, and will continue to do so over the years.

Once again, thank you everyone for all the support you have provided over the years. Here's to four more years of Digital Meltd0wn... Cheers!

The Official Album for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (Promo Score)

The official story behind this album is that it was a sealed promo score purchased from a Chinese citizen off of e-bay, although some think this might simply be a limited edition score that was released exclusively in China. The album I am presenting to you includes music that was actually performed during the opening and closing ceremonies, "Parade of Nations" and various other ceremonies during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I should point out that there were several albums released under the title "Official Album for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games". There are at least two other albums released under the title of "Official Album for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games", containing the type of mainstream music that you will never see posted here. These albums have been dubbed as "the gray album" and "the white album" by collectors due to the colors of their album cover. The gray album contains music from Western pop acts, such as Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys etc, while the "white album" contains music from mainstream Chinese pop stars. EMI also released an album simply titled "2008 Olympics", which presents songs sung in Mandarin by various Chinese artists. This score certainly surprised me upon first listening to it. I didn't get the opportunity to watch the opening ceremonies in 2008, and I've since discovered that it turned out to be one of the most epic opening ceremonies in the history of the Olympics. I suppose I expected the music to be more traditional and reserved, which it is at times; however, it is also filled with many exciting, heart-pounding performances as well.

The first disc consists of music from the opening ceremonies, performed by thousands of Chinese artists, and directed by a variety of accomplished Chinese composers . It opens up rather weak in my opinion, but at the heart of this disc is some of the best ethnic music that I've had the pleasure of listening to. My favorite tracks from this collection are "Written Character", "Opera" and "The Silk Road", "Nature", which are all unique and exciting pieces that utilize pounding percussion, chants, natural sounds and traditional Chinese instruments, all in a more contemporary fashion. "The Entry of the National Flag", "Scroll Painting", "Ritual Music" "Before the Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron", "Starlight", are all tracks of the more traditional or reserved variety that I mentioned earlier, filled with sweeping and soaring strings, shimmering harp interludes, soft piano segments, traditional Chinese instrumentation, and are often accompanied by dreamlike choral sections. Don't let the fact that I have lumped the majority of the songs into two general categories cause you to come to the conclusion that there isn't much variety to be found on these discs. This was done simply to save time, as I am unable to do a track-by-track review at the moment. In fact, each track is unique in it's own way, as each composer strives to represent China to the best of their ability, incorporating their own distinct style and flavor to each track in the process.

The second disc exhibits the music from "The Athlete's Parade", more commonly known as "The Parade of Nations". It contains a variety of traditional ethnic musical themes to represent the various nations involved. It features three tracks from master djembe drummers Patrick Pobee (Ghana) and Warren Lieberman (South Africa), a trio of tracks featuring Scottish bagpipe, Mexican Mariachi in the form of "El Son De La Negra", "El Son De La Madrugada" and Athlet's Parade #14, traditional Australian Aboriginal music by Brenton Broadstock and William Barton, as well as several traditional and contemporary folk and classical pieces from various Chinese composers. I had hoped that the music would cover a broader range, rather than including three tracks of mariachi and bagpipe music; however, it still remains a well-rounded and solid group of selections.

The third and final disc is my least favorite of the set. The majority of the music contained within consists of pop ballads and anthems. It's just not my cup of tea, nor the type of music that I would share here on DM. Fortunately the quality of the first two discs more than makes up for what the third lacks, and I'm sure there will be a few people that actually enjoy the type of music found on this disc also.

I hope that you all enjoy this gem, which I believe is both an aural delight, as well as culturally and historically significant. If any of you can provide me with more information about this release, please help me out by taking the time to leave a comment.


Year of Release: 2008
Genre: Soundtrack
Bitrate: 320kbps

Download:
The Official Album for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games - Disc 1
The Official Album for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games - Disc 2
The Official Album for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games - Disc 3

Download Size:
Disc 1: 157MB
Disc 2: 127MB
Disc 3: 159MB

Catching Some Zzzzzzs

Thought I'd leave you with this last post before I go catch some Zzzzzzs. I set out to post musick from each letter of the alphabet & I finally made it to Z.

Since this is Zero_ii's blog & he's a Z, I thought I better end on a high note. Now I'm a Nothin', which is like a Zero. In fact I use the Ø as my symbol (NØ) & I did model my nom de plume after another Zero named Earl. But when I set out to accomplish somethin', well I see it through to fruition. Hence Nothin' Sez Somethin' or in this case, does. I finally got this alphabet thing licked (but man is my tongue dry). Without further ado...

Zru Vogue - Zruisms 1980- 1984

Zru Vogue is an American independent band composing, recording & producing ethno-electro avant-pop surrealist rock for postmoderns.

Zru Vogue formed in Palo Alto, California in 1980, when two musicians, Andrew L. Jackson & Rick Cuevas got together with friends Tom & Nancy. Their musick was inspired by pop, punk & dada. They began experimenting by mixing up: African tribal & Middle Eastern rhythms; ambient; British-influenced avant-garde rock; minimalist electronics; & funk-rock guitars.

Their name came from a ‘zine headline “Zero Risk Unobtainable”. Andrew wrote a song with that title, then another called “Z.R.U. Part Two”. Somewhat randomly the ZRU was coupled with Vogue, thus Zru Vogue.

Zru Vogue’s first single, Febuary 1981's “Nakweda Dream b/w Cumulonimbus” on San Francisco label Adolescent Records was critically acclaimed in the alternative press. Sub-Pop magazine named it the best independent single of 1981. The first 3,000 copies sold out within months, mostly by mail order & another 3,000 were pressed & distributed.

From 1982 to 1984, Zru Vogue released an album (Zru Vogue, The Album [1982]) & an EP (Zru Vogue Now! / Possibly Imagined / The Artist [1984]). In 1985, Zru Vogue disbanded. The core duo of Rick Cuevas & Andrew L. Jackson made solo records through the late 80s & 90s.

Relocated to San Francisco, Andrew & Rick resurrected Zru Vogue in 2002, adding drummer Patrick Coyne to the line-up. They have released four albums of new material since 2004: Beautiful Again (2004); Unlimited Enjoyment Instant Gratification (2005); The Exile (2006); & their latest, Eleven Eyes (2009).

Zruism 1980-84 includes the complete studio recordings of Zru Vogue from 1980 to 1984. The musicians here are: Andrew L. Jackson (known then as Andrew Finkle) - guitar & vocals; Rick Cuevas - guitar & bass; Tom Sanders - bass; Nancy Miller - drums, Max Tyrell - multi-instrumentalist, with Zelda Blue (80-81) & Lawan Angelique (83-84).

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Zru Vogue
Genre: Dream-pop, Art-funk

Tracklist:
Cumulonimbus
Nakweda Dream
Do the Zru
The Dream Stops
Loubella Extendables
Pretty Girl
Exploring the Underworld
For the Time
Ubuhuha
Big Fish Swing
Now!
Possibly Imagined
The Artist

Download: Zru Vogue - Zruism 1980-84
Download Size: 144MB (ripped at 320 Kbps)

Zmiya - Somamdenlo

Zmiya is a band from Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France. They began as a more basic French hip-hop electro unit before altering their sound, becoming a very Eastern & Arabic sounding band. Their music is a world musick mix of traditional influences & modern electronic rhythms. Most of their songs have a peaceful shamanistic feel. Zmiya blend ethno with electro, using a diverse range of traditional instruments from around the world, such as: oud; hurdy-gurdy; didjeridoo; balaphon; arghoul; & kora mixed with subtle electro beats & samples.

Somamdenlo was released in 2004 by the Prikosnovénie label, also located in Nantes. It is currently out of print.

Zmiya here are: Jerome Ettinger - vocals, arghoul (a double-pipe, single-reed woodwind instrument that consists of two tubes: a melody pipe with between five & seven holes & a longer drone pipe) & programming; Sebah - kora (African lute-harp), guitar, & programming; Julien Bonvoisin - bass; Matthieu Rousseau - drums; along with four musickians from Cairo on vocals, percussion, rababa, arghoul, & kawala. Female & male vocals alternate throughout the album.

Year of Release: 2004
Label: Prikosnovénie PRIK087
Genre: Tribal, Electro

Tracklist:
Somamdenlo
Magical Time
Desert
Douma
Al Mostafa
Zmiya
Terra Nova
Redjah

Download: Zmiya - Somamdenlo
Download Size: 71.4MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

Zillatron - Lord of the Harvest

The electronic spawn of Godzilla is about to funktify your fuzzface. Yes, indeed, it is none other than Bootsy Collins in one of his many various personalities...this time Zillatron Fuzzface Bootsy, the Lord of the Harvest (of souls, we might ask???).

Describing the musick on this album is no simple matter. There are elements of metal, funk metal, funk, hip-hop & some leftfield type stuff as might be expected with Bill Laswell, Buckethead, & Bernie Worrell having their hands in this album. This is one of the earlier projects featuring these cats, much in line with later releases by Praxis or other Bill Laswell releases. Fans of Bootsy's work with Praxis should definitely enjoy this, but it still packs enough straight forward funk punch for more diehard Rubber Band fans.

A great concept for Bootsy has him playing bass as only he can. The theme of paranoia, both from within & without, is excellent. An extremely ambitious project utilizing: some heavy HEAVY fuzz bass; funked up guitar sounds from Buckethead; vocal samples from the film Naked Lunch; & other high weirdness. Zillatron lays down a coherent (if chaotic) landscape of funk fused with almost industrial music. It is very futuristic-sounding 'Cyberfunk' with snatches of techno, rock, & spaced-out ambient sounds all vying for supremacy. All the weirdness is capped off by a real zinger of a song, the hauntingly beautiful finale "The Passion Continues", a song that reverently references some great lines from some great ParliaFunkaRubber songs of the past.

Take the time to really listen to this album, both musickally & lyrically. You will not be disappointed.

"This Record is Dedicated to Eddie Hazel - The Maggot Brain of Funkadelic"

Zillatron is: Bootsy Collins - bass, sampler, & vocals; Buckethead - guitar; Bernie Worrell - piano, organ, & synthesizer; Bill Laswell - noises; Brenda Holloway, Debra Barsha, Kristen Gray, Momma Collins, & Patti Willis - backing vocals; & Grandmaster Melle Mel & Umar Bin Hassan (of the legendary Last Poets) - rapping & chanting. Recorded at Greenpoint Studio & Bootzilla Studio.

Year of Release: 1993
Label: Rykodisc RCD 10301
Genre: Funk Metal

Tracklist:
C.B.I. Files (Central Bug Intelligence)
Bugg Lite
Fuzz Face
Exterminate
Smell the Secrets
Count Zero
Bootsy & the Beast
No Fly Zone (The Devil’s Playground)
The Passion Continues

Download: Zillatron - Lord of the Harvest
Download Size: 99.6MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

Zwell - Open Air

Zwell is the performance name for Jean Libert, of Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées, France & a constantly changing cast of supporting characters. Libert was born in Lille, France. He sang in rock bands in another life & now plays in his kitchen among pigs, dragonflies, & beer. He uses boom boxes, synths, guitars, bells, street sounds & vocals to create his own brand of outsider musick.

Here he gets by with a little help from his friends: Antonio Mas - Spanish guitars; Karine - vocals, bass & keyboards; Marc Dechaumont- mandolin; Gian Lucca Houalla - drums; & Yves Alain for all the rest.

This is all I know about Zwell, so just listen & enjoy.

Year of Release: 1999
Label: My Dining Room Records
Genre: Outsider

Tracklist:
A Fairy Tale
Beat Boxes
Colma Train
Dirty Tricks
Fly Even Higher
I Married the Sun
Open Air
White Shirts
Mezzo il Mare
Mumble Doll
Peeling the Lichees
Trini Lopez
In the Moon
Spin Doctors

Download: Zwell - Open Air
Download Size: 91.5MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

Zyce - Transgressive

Zyce is a progressive psytrance project created by Nikola Kozik from Nova Pazova, Serbia. Since he was quite young, Nikola was interested in music. He gained experience playing in numerous rock, reggae & metal bends in his native Serbia. After years of playing, Nikola found himself gravitating to electronic music.

Nikola is a prolific artists. Aside from Zyce, his progressive trance solo project, he is involved in: Vertex , a progressive house project with Slobodan Gacesa; Zyce & Fox, a psytrance collaboration with Petar Lisica as part of the Tesserac Tstudio organization; & Ectima, a progressive tech-trance unit with Dalibor Delic (aka Flegma). He has released musick on labels such us: Spin Twist Records; Mikrokosmos Records; IONO music; Blue Tunes; Plusquam Records; & Synergetic Records.

There is a very fertile Progressive scene of his home country Serbia. Although his first material using the Zyce name was released as recently as 2008, it stood head & shoulders above much of the other musick in its genre because of both its technical & creative skills. Now only two years later, he delivers his second studio album. I usually don’t post things that are this contemporary, but this is an artist who deserves to be heard.

Transgressive utilizes solid melodies while plowing a distinctive acoustic furrow, creating a very laid-back & dreamy atmosphere. Nikola plays guitar, bass, keyboards, & drums with equal ability. Far from being claustrophobic, the 10 tracks on this album feel like a tender spring breeze against the listener's face.

Year of Release: 2010
Label: Spin Twist Records SPN1CD034
Genre: Progressive Trance, Psychedelic

Tracklist:
Blue Body
Earth in the Flame (with Flegma)
Hush
Nemesis
Intoxicated (Zyce remix by Martin)
Off-duty
Basic (remix)
Wonderland (with Nok)
Absorb
Moon Riders

Download: Zyce - Transgressive
Download Size: 148MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

ZZZZZZ - Holeigans

ZZZZZZ is a musical project by the band's only member, artist Tomas Johansson of Stockholm, Sweden. The music had been growing for a few years as intangible ideas & thoughts in Tomas’ head.

At Liljevalch's (Sweden's most renowned art gallery) 2000 Spring Exhibition, Tomas Johansson was exhibiting three paintings: "Which hole is the way out?"; "Holeigan Spiral"; & "The Bump" which depicted holeigans sitting in their holes. They were large paintings with an alien character as central figure. The whole concept was built on a simple ‘expressionlessness’ which, in its simplicity, became extremely expressive.

This expressive expressionlessness became the central concept that led to the creation of this musick. These Holeigan figures also illustrate the cover. The music is not really about the holeigans, but was created in the holeigans spirit...minimilistic & clinical with a pinch of humor in a juxtaposed calming yet desolate feeling.

Tomas’ musickal background is as a bassist in Swedish heavy & death/trash metal bands, but his influences span over a much broader spectrum, including a heavy dose of German ‘krautrock’ such as Kraftwerk. This musick has in fact been described as ‘ Kraftwerk meets Monty Python.’

All the songs on the CD are produced, composed, arranged, performed & recorded by Tomas, except the final bonus track "ZZZZZZ (L’Babe remix by Lizette)" which is produced, arranged, performed & recorded by Lizette von Panajott. Lizett also is responsible for the mix of the album. Mastering was done by Henrik Jonsson at Polar Studios, Stockholm, Sweden.

Year of Release: 2004
Label: Blue Lemon International
Genre: Experimental, Electronic

Tracklist:
The Operator
Hole
The Bump
Love
Electromonominimilistic Dimension
ZZZZZZ version 2.0
Another Mind
Something Nothing
ZZZZZZ (I´Babe Remix by Lizette) - bonus track

Download: ZZZZZZ - Holeigans
Download Size: 141MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

So adios all my DM friends, bedwise is rightwise now, right right right.

New Christs - Dropping Like Flies EP (Double 7")

This little gem was originally posted on the first Ausrock blog, which was removed by blogger. It hasn't reappeared on the new blog, so I thought I would post it here as requested.

The New Christs were originally formed by Radio Birdman and New Race vocalist Rob Younger after he was offered the support spot on Iggy Pop's Australian tour of 1984. The other members had played in groups such as Celibate Rifles, Lime Spiders and Hoodoo Gurus. The tour proved a success and the band stayed together, recording the two singles Like A Curse and Born Out Of Time for Sydney independent label Citadel Records. These releases gained universal acclaim for their tough and uncompromising nature. With the prospect of an album deal and European tour, the other members instead chose to return to their former interests. Younger was left to pursue a career producing some of the finest upcoming Australian alternative bands.

In 1986 Barracudas bass player Jim Dickson returned to Australia from the UK and together with Younger started a new line-up. Featured were Charlie Owen, a gifted but as yet unknown guitarist and drummer Louis Burdett who soon left to be replaced by Nick Fisher who had played with Ed Kuepper and Wet Taxis. This line-up released a series of hard hitting singles Black Hole, Headin' South, Another Sin and the EP Dropping Like Flies. These tracks were compiled under the title Divine Rites, whose European release allowed the group to tour there for the first time.

Track List:
1. Dropping like Flies
2. Dead Girl
3. I Swear
4. You'll never catch my Wave

Download: New Christs - Dropping Like Flies EP
Download Size: 20MB

A.K. Klosowski & Pyrolator - Home Taping Is Killing Music

"Demented pop music from the very early days of sampling"This album was passed on to me by one of my friends on last.fm If you are reading this Metawirt, thank you very much for introducing me to this wonderful gem, as well as all the other music that you regularly recommend. Metawirt was also kind enough to set up a last.fm artist page, which unfortunately didn't exist until he created it. To my knowledge this is the only project that A.K. Klosowski worked on. There are two bonus tracks included which are a collaborative effort by Klosowski and T. Eckart. I am unsure if these were included on the original release, or if these were included on a reissue. If any of you have any more information on this release please pass it on. I haven't been able to dig up much information on this project, and I'm short on time at the moment, so I will pass on the information that Metawirt posted on last.fm:

"In 1984 Pyrolator (aka Kurt Dahlke, specialist for music & computer and early part of “Fehlfarben”, “Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft” and later part of “Der Plan”) teamed up with A.K. Klosowski for the groundbreaking sampling experiment Home Taping Is Killing Music:
Demented pop music from the very early days of sampling. Numerous artists are credited as being the sample sources, but good luck to you finding them." - Metawirt

Year of Release: 1984
Label: Captain Trip
Genre: Electronic, Sampling, Sound Collage
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
1. Overtüre
2. Österreich
3. Tschak
4. Hammond
5. Agana Wudiov
6. What Made You So No Good
7. Heimat
8. Dahomey
9. You know, I Need...
10. ZV9
Bonus Tracks by A.K. Klosowski & T. Eckart
11. HiFidelity
12. China First On Mars

Download: A.K. Klosowski & Pyrolator - Home Taping Is Killing Music
Download Size: 58MB