Collector Not Completist

Hollertronix Vol. 8 - "Welcome To Hell" (Mad Decent, 2008)

2011-12-25T12:05:00.001-06:00

Well, this is my last post here. I wanted to find something Christmassy but I guess I don't own any holiday music. I blame working in retail stores over the holidays for this gap in the collection. Anyhow, I thought I'd close it out with a touch of Satan instead. Thanks Alexander for letting me guest blog over here for a couple weeks. I thought that by going through all of my vinyl to look at the labels I would start to weed out the stinkers. But hey, go figure, I love those stinkers! Happy Axe-mas to all!

The Free Design Redesigned The Remix EP Vol. 1 (Light in the Attic, 2004)

2011-12-24T12:53:00.000-06:00

stencil love from Light In The Attic

Outlander - "TZ 5" (TZ, 1992)

2011-12-23T16:18:00.000-06:00

Honestly I don't know much about this release. I found it in the dance section on our vinyl shelves here at home. It has a Gramaphone Records price sticker from 1992, so I assume Nick bought this one. Sometimes with white label dance records you can look in the dead wax to see which is Side A and at what speed it should be played. This had nothing written on it except for the printed TZ 5. I suppose with these kinds of records it matters more the mood you are in, rather than the speed of the music. It's quite good. The label is pretty and swirly and colorful and spirograph-ish.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – "The Message" (Sugar Hill, 1982)

2011-12-22T07:44:00.000-06:00

When my parents had parties they would put this record on and have me and my sister come entertain guests by singing along. It wouldn't be until years later that I fully understood the lyrics to The Message and see just how funny it was to have little toddlers singing along to it. "Rats in the front room, roaches in the back, Junkie's in the alley with a baseball bat" ha ha ha!!!

Young MC - "Bust a Move" (Delicious Vinyl, 1989)

2011-12-21T10:26:00.000-06:00

ok smarty, go to a party

Bauhaus - "Bela Lugosi's Dead" (Small Wonder Records, 1979)

2011-12-20T09:24:00.000-06:00

I had a bass guitar for one whole year and this is the only song I bothered to learn.

Mercury Rev - "Yerself Is Steam" (Mint Films, 1991)

2011-12-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

These dudes make me think of grunge and the moment when alternative became a genre and a section in music stores. Like college rock, alternative was suddenly popular rock and made dudes with flannels and white guy dreadlocks super cool. (ew, hippies...) These guys got over shadowed by the Flaming Lips... their guitar player went on to play on their albums, leaving Mercury Rev in the dust. "Chasing a Bee" is really rad when blasted from your Chevette's cassette player. I'm just sayin'.

Pizzicato Five - "Happy End of the World" (Matador, 1997)

2011-12-18T13:28:00.002-06:00

happy!

Mongo Santamaria - "Tacos b/w Hammer Head" (Riverside, 1963)

2011-12-17T18:02:00.000-06:00

the fabulous boogaloo man

Big Black - "Racer X" (Homestead Records, 1985)

2011-12-16T07:28:00.000-06:00

Big Black is so big their name won't fit on both sides of the record... (and shit)

Nervous Records

2011-12-15T09:28:00.001-06:00

I love the Nervous Records label. It's a very hard, dirty house label out of New York. There are more imprints then Nervous Dog Records (Wreck Records and Weeded Records) but each of them have the cartoon head. So awesome.

White+Outs - "Solid State b/w Coffin Nails" (Shit Sandwich, 2003)

2011-12-14T13:27:00.000-06:00

shiny punk rock on shit sandwich

Stax/Volt Records

2011-12-13T14:18:00.000-06:00

When doing the Stax tour in Memphis I have to admit I got a little choked up. I am madly in love with Otis Redding but being there in the studio hit me like I never expected it would. There I was with some families and old people weeping like a little girl. Ahhhhh Otis. These are just a couple 45s from Stax and Volt. I do like the earlier Stax label with the records flying out from the pile.

The Rub Party Medleys Volume 2 (Smelly Fatso Records, 2008)

2011-12-12T16:25:00.002-06:00

If you never want to sort through all of your party 12"s at the club you can just throw this dude on. The party has started. It's the bathroom break record if you forgot to bring your Steely Dan LPs.

Bobbi Humphrey - "Blacks and Blues" (Blue Note, 1973)

2011-12-11T10:45:00.000-06:00

Bobbi was one of the first ladies to be signed to Blue Note. "Chicago, Damn" is an amazing song. I mean, well, all of these are amazing songs. Get this and get into some jazz flute, it's very worth it.

Boris With Merzbow - "Walrus/Groon" (Hydra Head Records, 2007)

2011-12-10T12:04:00.001-06:00

Heavy cover of "I Am the Walrus" by the Beatles. Music to clean your house to...

Tittsworth - "The Afterparty EP" (Vicious Pop Records, 2007)

2011-12-09T19:40:00.001-06:00

Yeahhh, here's a good lookin' label for the weekend. It's Baltimore Dance Party time! The first song contains a sample of PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on a Memory Bliss" which in itself contains a sample of Spandau Ballet's "True". Yep, a sample in a sample in a sample, this is an ouroboros of a song. Happy Friday!

Subhumans - "EP-LP" (Bluurg Records, 1985)

2011-12-08T20:22:00.001-06:00

the essential high school album

Linval Thompson - "Abortion" (Ujama, 1986) Sly and Robbie - "Drunk and Disorderly" (Power House, 1987) Gregory Isaacs - "Hard Drugs" (Tappa, 1988)

2011-12-07T11:31:00.001-06:00

Oh boy, I sure do love reggae. It might be surprising coming from someone who can't handle the grass, man. These 45s came into Reckless Records one day when I was working and I got all insane about it. There were about 75 records in the trade and poor Clive, who wrote his name on all of his records, had to sell these for cash. Not only do I love the independent nature of the reggae label, what with the crooked artwork and made up production companies, but the beats are amazing. Fortunately, I am not that well versed in the Jamaican slang, so I can overlook the overt and intense racism and sexism that appears in almost every song. I mean... "Abortion"... I wonder what that song's about? sheesh...

Parts & Labor - "A Great Divide" b/w "Take Us Back" (Plastic Records, 2005)

2011-12-06T16:16:00.001-06:00

Birds and buildings are pretty neat-o.

The Mekons - "Where Were You?" (Fast Product, 1978) and "Slightly South of the Border" (Sin Recordings, 1986)

2011-12-05T17:58:00.001-06:00

I wanted to start off my set with one of my favorite bands of all time.. the Mekons! They have changed labels quite a lot in their career but I'm only showcasing two here. First I have their single for "Where Were You?" Rough Trade distributed this one and the songs would eventually appear on the full-length, "The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen".

Next is this 10" "Slightly South of the Border". While you listen to this fantastic EP you can watch the little horses run around the outside of the label.

Coachwhips - "Peanut Butter And Jelly Live At The Ginger Minge" (Narnack Records, 2005)

2011-12-04T23:10:00.001-06:00

The best part of this label is it goes along with a Peanut Butter and Jelly swirl colored vinyl.

George Harrison - "All Things Must Pass" (Apple Records, 1970)

2011-12-03T22:58:00.002-06:00

Another creative Apple variation from the bonus "jam sessions" LP in Harrison's debut solo album. Purchased Winter 2009 at Euclid Records in St. Louis, MO.

Various - "Background Music For Home Movies, Vol. 1" (Folkways Records, 1964)

2011-12-02T19:10:00.004-06:00

I suppose the best part of this label is not the design, but the unusual "bands" and categories covering all types of home movie situations. Purchased Spring 2010 at Joe's Record Paradise in Silver Spring, MD.

Michael Yonkers - "It's Only Yonkers" (Galactic Zoo Disk/Eclipse Records, 2004)

2011-12-01T19:16:00.005-06:00

This one is pretty minimal, and I almost didn't post it. However, I dig its simplicity and lettering (unmistakably) by Plastic Crimewave.

Nirvana - "Bleach" (Sub Pop Records, 1989)

2011-11-30T20:57:00.004-06:00

File this one under classic - I was shocked no one had posted it yet. Nice Kurdt Kobain (as he spelled it then) lettering on A, Dante's "Circles of Hell" on B. I've had this one so long I don't quite remember when or where I got it.

Pink Slip Daddy - "L.S.D." (Apex, 1988)

2011-11-29T18:55:00.003-06:00

While the "Apex" logo is neat, this label is notable for its strange accompanying instructions: "This Side Starts At Inner Groove" / "This Side Plays Twice". Meaning, yes, Side A will play inside (near the label) to outside. Meanwhile Side B uses parallel grooves, meaning there are actually two tracks within each other - it's almost impossible to choose which one you'll get when starting Side B. For being a hand numbered release of 2000, I come across this record all the time in used bins. Pick it up next time you see it for a cheap record nerd party trick. Purchased 2009 at Record Exchange in St. Louis, MO.

The Whines - "Hell To Play" (Meds, 2010)

2011-11-28T22:07:00.003-06:00

I like this label for a couple of reasons: 1) it's a hand drawn label that's designed as if it weren't and 2) no where does the band's name appear - just the label name (and prominently so). Purchased 2011 from Forced Exposure.

Ty Segall - "Spiders" (Drag City, 2011)

2011-11-27T22:23:00.005-06:00

Actually, the last record I bought. This one's designed by William Keihn (just like that Oh Sees label I posted last time). The B side looks especially neat spinning at 45rpm.

Okie Dokie - "Okie Dokie" (Aagoo Records, 2009)

2011-11-26T11:45:00.002-06:00

Tom Recchion – "The Incandescent Gramophone" (Poo-Bah Records, 2007)

2011-11-25T20:21:00.004-06:00

The only 78 rpm in my collection, this record by Tom Recchion of the Los Angeles Free Music Society presents an audio collage made by layering various 78s (along with MP3s of 78s) and mixing/processing them over multiple times. 78 rpm proudly displayed in a throwback to a bygone era. Purchased Summer 2009 at Poo-Bah Records in Pasadena, CA.

Rob's House (2009-10)

2011-11-24T22:00:00.001-06:00

Rob's House is another Atlanta label releasing mostly 7 inches. The top label was their old design and has appeared in several color variations. The middle label seems to be the newer design found on their records now-a-days - it looks like they have left behind Atlanta for New York (as evidenced on the label). The bottom label comes from Side B of RHR-045 (live at Rob's House Black Lips / Carbonas / Gentleman Jesse / Predator + DVD) and actually shows a picture of Rob's House, the basement venue.

Die Slaughterhaus (2009)

2011-11-23T22:00:00.001-06:00

I'm back in Georgia for the Thanksgiving holiday so I thought I'd post some related labels. Over the last decade or so the Atlanta music scene has been very strong (for better or worse chronicled in the documentary "We Fun"). Several prolific Atlanta labels release almost exclusively on 7-inch vinyl - Die Slaughterhaus perhaps being the most visible because of its relation to the Black Lips. This classic red/black design (and star logo/flag) is ubiquitous in the ATL music scene. Purchased 2009 at Wax 'N' Facts in Atlanta, GA.

AFCGT - Korin b/w Niche (Sub Pop Records, 2010)

2011-11-22T18:59:00.003-06:00

I think this design fits nicely with the self-described "Sea Urchin Psychedelia" of AFCGT (A Frames + Climax Golden Twins). The nice fold-out packaging of the sleeve matches with even more abstract patterns. All too weird for 2000s Sub-Pop? Purchased Winter 2010 at Red Onion Records and Books in Washington, DC.

Mono Men - Mystery Girl b/w Sin & Tonic (Estrus Records, 1994)

2011-11-21T20:06:00.005-06:00

Thanks to Alexander for asking me back to do some more posts. I think I'll actually throw up some 45s this time and be warned: most of them will lean towards newer releases. Anyway, let's kick it off with this single from the Mono Men circa early 1990s garage rock revival. Purchased 2009 at Criminal Records (R.I.P.?) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Keysound (2011)

2011-11-21T00:41:00.006-06:00

So yeah, I wanted to go out with a bang. Hence this kaleidoscopic image from the label on Damu's Ridin' EP. Plus this hypercolor jawn lets me wrap things up the way I started with a Keysound joint. One of my favorite memories is from July 4 a couple years back -- I was on an evening flight from Florida to D.C. I scored a window seat on the left side of the plane (a must for arriving at DCA because you get that nice view of the Car Barn at Georgetown and all the D.C. monuments coming in over the Potomac River). As we started heading east I peered out and saw fireworks going off all over the place below. Anyhoo, not only does this label remind me of that night, but it is a perfecto fit for Damu's chunes. This release is on some jump up say yeah let the games begin bass action. Maximal is the word that best characterizes the music for me. If you were driving the Rainbow Road in Mario Kart and instead of having to start over when you fell off the track, you got warped into some other next dimension -- that's what this sounds like. Hands down one of my favorite releases from 2011. Damu also has a full length that just dropped in October, peep the lead single, Breathless, quite a lovely one.

And like that I'm out. Thanks much to Zander Stewart for cranking this blog back up -- definitely been a joy to participate.

Beat Master Records / Vision Records (1989)

2011-11-19T16:11:00.004-06:00

There's a lot to like about this label, starting right off with the baby blue (I've read that the labels on the first pressings were light green) and the slightly off-kilter print job. The true beaut though is the logo for the Beat Master Records label itself, which looks like it only released this jam and one other Clay D 12-incher, "Give Me Head." I like how the logo uses three different fonts: 1) the pseudo hand written style for "BEAT," 2) the big blocks of "MASTER," and 3) the straight-ahead sans serif for "RECORDS." The line drawings of what look to be a variation on dueling Akai MPCs go for the win every time. It's a bit curious to me that the label went with MPC samplers given that Florida bass music is often associated with the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which looks quite a bit different.

I'm always on the hunt for Miami Bass-related records, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that the first music video I ever saw was for 2 Live Crew's "Pop That Coochie." After a typical middle school day of getting yelled at by 8th-graders for wearing a bicycle helmet (a couple of enlightened dipshits liked to serenade me with the "Wong Fong the Helmet Mon" moniker), avoiding a "troubled" white dude who always tried to slam kids' fingers in gym lockers, and aimlessly daydreaming through Miss Bliss's science class about maybe sorta kinda trying to "go out" with a girl who played the saxophone and wore combat boots with short shorts, I'd kick back and relax at home by microwaving up some of that awful Velveeta cheese for nachos and plopping down to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. One fateful afternoon I decided to manually flip through the channels and my life was never the same after I stumbled on The Box. It probably didn't help that immediately after pulling my eyeballs off the ceiling from observing the antics of Luke, Mr. Mixx and Fresh Kid Ice, I was then treated to the trip that is the Geto Boys doing "Mind Playing Tricks on Me." Up until that moment, hip-hop in my mind had really only consisted of Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" and this one girl back in Oklahoma that had a Public Enemy t-shirt. But aw man homey, seeing Bushwick punching his hands bloody on the concrete and ladies shaking it all over in Miami was a real instance of education as to what else was out there.

Discos Gas (1979)

2011-11-18T22:13:00.007-06:00

Before I moved out west, I had to do a concentrated purge of my collection (downsized by at least 1000 pieces) and before I bought anything at the flea market I had to do some serious self reflection on whether or not I "really needed" it (as opposed to "really wanted" it). This was one that almost ended up on the chopping block as I was trying to break my habit of springing simply based on covers, especially cheesecake like a naked Mexican woman with one heckuva perm trying unsuccessfully to cover herself with an acoustic guitar (sorry, this is the one time Google image search has failed me, even with SafeSearch off). I know I know, shoulda been a no-brainer, but then I pulled the vinyl out of the sleeve, saw this label and the deal was done. The colors here are great -- the gray base and then what actually look like blue, silver, red and yellow bursts of light gas shooting out of the lower-case gas name. To give respect where respect is due, the direccion artistica was done by one Guillermo Acosta S. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure that the title is misspelled on the label as according to my bobo high-school knowledge of espanol, "serenata" is the correct spelling for a serenade.

Spitball Records (1977)

2011-11-17T20:22:00.007-06:00

I haven't done any double postings this rodeo, but for this record I couldn't decide which sideburn shot was better. Side one gives you get a profile glimpse of just how enormous that caterpillar is, as well as that teethy oh-yeah-I'm-burning-this-solo expression. On side two it's all about how feathery those wings are. I wonder how hard it is to be a guitar player without any ears. All joking aside, the musician in question is Joe Diorio, who is one of those guys from the '60s that, as Jazz Times puts it, "has flown under the radar of the vast majority of jazz fans." The album is called Peaceful Journey and while I can't say I get down with these tunes, I am with the labels and the design work. Check the front cover for a look at that late '70s style.

Cold Mountain Music / Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society (1975)

2011-11-16T18:16:00.004-06:00

I appreciate that this record puts the Sufi dance before the song, but I think the vibe is a bit hard to capture on vinyl. There's a bunch of chanting of mantras and the like that you can hear, but it doesn't quite capture the hypnotic visual of the circular trance-like whirling (see this short clip from the film Decasia for a sense of what I'm talking about). The label here tries to do some of this work, but the first time I pulled this one out of the sleeve I mistook these two whitey dervishes as being awkward sleepers. I wonder if that's partly because whoever designed this didn't bother to trim out the space between them. Also, where the heck did their other feet go? I guess they can just kinda plant with the stump and then twirl.

PDU / Die Kosmischen Kuriere (1975)

2011-11-16T01:19:00.004-06:00

This has always been sort of a mystery record for me. I hooked this one up in Baltimore in the same batch that included the Dream Laboratory/Auditory Assault LP, so obviously a strange confluence of records that day. Even after doing some serious Internet sleuthing, there's still quite a bit that I don't understand or know about this one. Maybe it's all in my head, but I think part of the puzzle might have to do with this label. You have what appears to be double Don Quixote looking character (take a closer look for the facial hair and eyeball variations), an Ouroboros (snake eating its tail), stars and squiggles and stick figures, and the Die Kosmischen Kuriere with some kinda ornamented serifed font. If you know what's happening, please fill everyone in in the comments.

Mutant Sounds has a pretty decent write-up taken from the web site of Roberto Cacciapaglia, who played the head cosmic courier here, about the concepts behind the music. I'm guessing it's a translation of the Italian text that's on the inner sleeve. I thought this passage was particularly mystifying: " I am aware, unfortunately, to be late by a couple of millenniums with respect to how I would like music to be intended and that in this day and age I find it diluted in its primary powers, in a time period that destructing essential values. For this very reason, I want to search deeply and not superficially for it, possibly altering the knob of a synthesizer to that of a marranzano." The last bit is a reference to the mouth harp on the front cover. Still don't get it? Yeah, neither do I. But the synthesizer sounds are nothing less than what you'd expect to be delivered by Cosmic Couriers.

For extra listening, I'd recommend Cacciapaglia's The Ann Steel Album from 1979, which features this weird and great proto-Italo-disco clanker of a track, "My Time." Dr. Einstein, we're going supernova and there's not a single thing you can do.

American United / Cinema Educational Guild (1967)

2011-11-14T18:07:00.004-06:00

So this is a case where the label really sets up what you're about to listen to what with the heavy impact font in black on the red background. Myron Fagan may come off all kooky like a crotchety old man who speaks through his nasal cavity, but damn he comes hard with the conspiracy theories. In this case, the C.F.R. is the acronym for the Council on Foreign Relations, which our dramatic speaker claims was created by the ILLUMINATI (they're big and scary enough to warrant all caps at all times evidently) "to control our elected officials to gradually drive the U.S. into becoming an enslaved unit of a 'United Nations' One-World Government." This was a three-record set, of which I only have the first. You can download all six parts on this web site, where you can also find "the truth" about the misinformation concerning global warming, Skull and Bones, and The Matrix.

One of my favorite LPs from back in my underground hip-hop days was Outer Perimeter by Presage, a supergroup consisting of Mr. Dibbs, Jel and Dose One. The opening track is called "The Illuminati" and it has a healthy dose of Mr. Fagan telling it like it is along with Jack Van Impe and some other conspiracy-mongers that will remain untraceable for now until you know, like, new shit comes to light dude.

Diamond Records (1989)

2011-11-13T19:13:00.005-06:00

This is one of those flea market finds that I debated over picking up (I was about to spring for two crates of OG Baltimore House singles), but I'm glad the older gent at the booth threw this in for free. The a-side is pretty straightforward with track titles in eggplant print. The b-side is where it's at for me though. Instantly reminded me of the Liquid Sky OST cover, but the black and white job works in this case. The "You are invited to expand your total self" charge always gets a grin. In my mind I always think, "Why yes, I would like to expand more than just a particular part of myself." Totally total. My favorite days at the flea market were when DJ collections would come through because a lot of times I'd find stuff with notes written on the sleeves. I've ended up with a number of singles from the collection of "CERONE."

As for the music, this is one erotic workout. "French Kiss" was Lil Louis's best known hit. The full 10-minute version starts out just chugging and chugging along but around minute six or seven the sex styles kick in. Shawn Christopher gets her moan on in concert with a complete slowdown of the beat. Ish reaches a crawl and actually comes to a complete halt as she reaches her peak. Then the beat just comes in as furious as ever for another couple minutes. Yup, a burner. Check this video for a sample of what I'm talking about. The comments are worth a peruse too what with all the shout-outs from former strippers who say they used to poledance to this.

Presspop Music (2010)

2011-11-13T00:57:00.005-06:00

One of the nice things about contributing to this blog is that it is forcing me to cull through my collection and find some nice labels -- but a side effect of all this is that I'm rediscovering some records I hadn't listened to in a while. This one, which features recordings of two collabos between Arthur Russell and Allen Ginsberg from the 1970s, stood out primarily because the packaging is really tight. It's a 10-inch and both sides of the cover have been letter-pressed for a textured but super clean feel. Looks like Archer Prewitt of the Sea and Cake did all the artwork, including the drawings of Russell and Ginsberg that ended up on the labels.

I choose the Arthur a-side because I thought it was a bit unusual to get such a close-up on his face. A couple years ago I attended the Arthur Russell Symposium, a pretty amazing event just based on the attendees and speakers (Russell's family, former bandmates, producers and engineers he worked with, writer Tim Lawrence). While we were treated with a number of entertaining stories and performances, one of the details I remember now is that Russell wasn't all that comfortable with his face as he had a lot of residual scarring from acne. I thought the treatment on this label was tasteful -- and it captures a sort of haunted, or maybe concerned, look. I also choose the Russell side because frankly his music does a lot more for me than Ginsberg's yowling. Although I have been known to rock the Kaddish joint on occasion. For those who don't know much about Russell, well, it's about time you got familiar. I'd start with Calling Out of Context and World of Echo. For now, "Let's Go Swimming."

More Record Company (1968)

2011-11-12T00:13:00.005-06:00

So we were looking at blaxploitation in one my classes last week and someone began questioning the "authenticity" of phrases such as "you dig it," "don't take no jive," "right on," etc. in Foxy Brown. The subtext here is that the director, Jack Hill, is white, so there was some off-the-cuff pondering of whether or not a white person can effectively write dialogue for black characters. Um yes, this is what grad school can be like, but unfortunately no, it's not like this every class. Usually there's a lotta more talk about Adorno and Benjamin and Kant and shit. I finally had to speak my piece, saying that yes, the dialogue may come off stilted (for a taste just listen to the language in the trailer), but that it certainly didn't strike me as unauthentic. That's probably because I had been listening to Eldridge Cleaver of Soul on Ice and Black Panther Party fame laying it down in this speech from 1968 just hours earlier. In his write-up on the back cover, Reginald Mayor states: "Speaking and writing in that eloquent all balls language understood by black people, Cleaver speaks to all people with the insistence that they chart their own destiny..." All balls indeed.

This has become one of my favorite labels this past year. I dig the silhouette image of Cleaver speaking and the high contrast black and white works for me. Plus I think the logo for More Record Company, which as far as I can tell only released this LP, is pretty snazzy. The black and white fill on the label is actually the reverse of how it appears on the front cover.

Jihad Productions (1968)

2011-11-10T20:41:00.006-06:00

I thought this would be a somewhat appropriate counterpoint to yesterday's label. Nothing too complicated in terms of design. Orange is my top color. Unfortunately the scan isn't quite up to snuff in terms of capturing the brightness. I do appreciate how there appears to be an attempt at centering all the text, but the song titles are off by a good quarter inch at least. But what song titles they are. For a taste of what this sounds like, you can check out this fanmade YouTuber of "Beautiful Black Women."

I did some digging on Jihad Productions -- it's a hell of a name and not one I'd imagine would really go over so well these days. From what I understand poet Amiri Baraka aka LeRoi Jones (he's in the center on the cover) started this label but then only released three albums. Soul & Madness was the third. The second, A Black Mass, is one I've been searching for since I was in high school because this one old head at the local record store who managed for Sam Rivers was always getting me hyped about obscure Sun Ra records. I picked this up on the cheap at a D.C. flea market along with a handful of free jazz and Angela Davis LPs. Soul and madness for sure.

Western Electric Company, Inc. (1970)

2011-11-09T18:24:00.005-06:00

So this one seems to be pretty complicated, or at least more than I'll have space to do justice to in a single post. The basics are as such: "The Dialect of the Black American" is an LP that ultimately argues for "the speech of black Americans" to be granted the same consideration as is "automatically" given to "the languages of other lands." The description on the back cover mentions how "the black man" was "wrenched" from "his African soil" and brought to America as a slave and goes on to to characterize the black experience in America as one that has been "slighted." The language here is all pretty laughable (to keep from crying that is). I guess one could argue that it was written in 1970, but that doesn't make it go down any easier. The lines that really had me cringing: "America accepts the preservation of her settlers' pasts. From Williamsburg to Chinatown, from Saint Patrick's Day to the Jewish New Year, she recognizes the wellsprings of her subcultures. This the blacks now require."

The kicker in all this weirdness is that the record was released by the community relations arm of Western Electric. Baffling, huh? You can listen to the record here, although as evidenced by everything above, I'm not quite as optimistic as the writer there about what this LP might represent. From the get-go the listener is presented with audio of "authentic" black talk, mainly angry women hollering at "Leroy" who is too lazy to get out of bed and yelling at their kids to "shut-up" and "don't slam that door." Check out the cover at the very least. I'm not going to say it's "fantastic." Regardless of any well-meaning intentions with the design, there's definitely something off-putting about a graphic of a black boy's head with a photograph of "the ghetto" superimposed over where the mouth should be.

I prefer the take from Detroit's Theo Parrish on all this with his house track "Ebonics." He samples some bits and pieces of dialogue, then lets the question of "How little have we gained and how much have we lost?" become a refrain. Now this is genius stuff, and Parrish does a mean ODB to boot.

E.F. Hutton & Company Inc.

2011-11-08T20:03:00.006-06:00

As the Wu-Tang maxim says, cash rules everything around me. This musty flea market find is ostensibly about exploring "contexts" for "the effective use of money through investments to improve your life." In other words, just get thee to your local E.F. Hutton branch stat and give them your dough. Oh wait, that joint is now Smith Barney, which is partially owned by Citigroup but 51% of that is owned by Morgan Stanley, making it Morgan Stanley Smith Barney formerly a division of Citi Global Wealth Management. Yeesh, I think we may need Mark Lombardi, much respect, for this case.

This features a lady offering sage advice such as, "Ask not what you can do for your brokerage firm, but what your brokerage firm can do for you," as well as a variety of suits talking with a weird slight echo on their voices about how the stock market works, etc. There is a short jingle at the end of the first track that starts out a bit cheeseball library-ish, adds some light synths and then what sounds like a recording from a trade room floor. Someone blurts out "100!" and then the tune ends abruptly.

Design-wise, I do find it hard to not get behind this blue even though blue isn't my color. The huge ass title and font makes it pretty clear what this one is all about. I also like the pretty prominent tag line hanging out at the bottom. I did a quick YouTube search because evidently the phrase was somewhat iconic during the '80s. This looks like the standard premise for an E.F. Hutton commercial. I also stumbled on the Cos shilling for them. Too bad he doesn't actually utter the "people listen" phrase, but come on, that dude has always been for the kids.

Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. (1958)

2011-11-07T19:54:00.005-06:00

Continuing on with the sound theme, here's one with the ill communication from Ma Bell that gets right down to the real nitty gritty of how sound works. The description on the cover says that the record was produced "as an aid in understanding how sound is put to work for the benefit and pleasure of man." So not so much Sonic Warfare happening here. More like the entertaining roars of racing cars, selections from Pictures at an Exhibition and your standard stereo test sounds.

I like how most of the label is centered up, real clean and balanced. Always kinda cool to see the word "microgroove" printed. The left-justified track titles are straight-forward, I prefer the b-side with "Echo and Reverberation" and "Delay Distortion." Oh wait, phone is ringing, oh my god.

Radio Canada International (1972)

2011-11-07T00:58:00.005-06:00

I thought this would be an appropriate label to follow something from Kode 9, who as Steve Goodman published a book called Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect and the Ecology of Fear in 2009. I got to thinking about this recently when some classmates brought up the "Operation Wandering Soul" psyop tapes deployed during the Vietnam War (this was in conjunction with reading the allusive and elusive Operation Wandering Soul by Richard Powers).

This gem popped up in Baltimore on one of my last digging trips before I moved out to the Left Coast. The minute I saw "THE DREAM LABORATORY" and "AN AUDITORY ASSAULT" handwritten on a plain white cover I was in like Flint. The vinyl itself turned out to be pretty dusty but possibly unplayed. There's no escaping the three shades of pink and it was hard not getting excited about the prospects of electronic effects when you see "(Fade out electronic effects)" printed on the label itself. In short, the story entails a doctor in "The Lab" who "probes and remixes the dreamlife of his subjects," which as you might expect involves some spaced out shit and electronic sounds. If you're interested, take a listen here. Looks like the mastermind behind all this, Paul A. Green, has a couple other projects up here.

Hyperdub (2009)

2011-11-05T22:24:00.003-06:00

In my book, Hyperdub was king from 2007-2010. Every release, from "Archangel" to "Spliff Dub (Rustie Remix)" to "Need You" to "Please" to "Boomslang" to "You Don't Know What Love Is," was a sonic bomb. "Black Sun" was of course no exception what with label-head Kode 9 taking all the tension from Memories of the Future and reworking it into a synthesizer pressure cooker for the dancefloor. Every time I listen to this track I'm struck by how it seems to move forward and up and down simultaneously.

The label reminds me of a Fennesz landscape on Touch Records from a while back. While that one was way gray, this one is much more of an apocalyptic after-future with a sea and atmosphere turned a hazy yellow. Certainly reminiscent of another Ballard short-story, "The Day of Forever." I also dig the fonts used here, which were pretty much standard Hyperdub issue.

Sonet (1977)

2011-11-04T15:13:00.005-06:00

This is the second Sonet that I've put up on the blog, but as I sat down to do this write-up it dawned on me that I didn't know a daggone thing at all about this record company. So I hopped on over to the Discogs wiki and turns out it's one of those entities that's been bought and sold a number of times. Hence, releases ranging from jazz guitarist Tiny Grimes to Depeche Mode to George Thorogood to Bomb the Bass to Wilson Pickett. Curious.

As for the label, for comparison's sake you can peep a 1976 iteration I put up last year. Quite a difference eh? I do enjoy that they stuck with some sort of large pointed shape as the centerpiece. I dig the pseudo-surrealish plane and shapes and brick label name. Anyone for a game of Simon? I've really lost my taste for straight-ahead jazz these days, but damn, these song titles take the cake. "Romance Without Finance"? That's my kind of dating. Sorry love.

Mo' Wax (1998)

2011-11-03T18:28:00.005-06:00

When it comes to the record game I try to live with few regrets. It could easily get way depressing mourning all those joints passed over at the thrift store only to realize what they were later, getting to crates at shows a second too late and seeing dudes pull heavyweight shit, and the countless eBay auctions lost at the last minute. Right now I can only think of three moments that still bug me: almost hooking up the Sun Ra Batman novelty record at a flea market, spending way too much for a Solaris OST that turned out to be an '80s reissue (awesome cover though), and not buying OG pressings of the major DJ Krush Mo'Wax releases in one fell swoop during my froshmen year of college.

In terms of hip-hop shit, 1998 was still a real good year for me, Doomsday, Aquemini, Book of Human Language, countless promo singles from Slip N Slide. But Mo' Wax records were still where it was at as "trip-hop" hadn't quite become a dirty word yet. I will never forget pawing over still sealed import copies of Meiso, Milight and Holonic 'The Self Megamix' at my local record store. The prices of course were way too much for my non-job-having student self. I think I bought the OG Doomsday instead, which in the long run wasn't a bad move. After I got home I decided I was going to save up some loot to get the Krush LPs, but like an idiot didn't think to call and have them held for me. Two weeks later and a couple chicken sandwiches and required books lighter I returned to no avail -- they were long gone.

Twelve years later, I found myself in another record store in the same town. Lo and behold there was a copy of Holonic, and, even better than scoring the other Krushes, copies of both the Headz 2A and 2B boxsets. I can understand the argument that the music and the whole vibe that came with it hasn't aged very well, but I guess I'm still like fuck that this was my shit. Krush beats are still my music for long drives at night and Ben Drury's layouts of the Futura 2000 installation are still unbeatable. Mo' Wax please.

Public Information (2011)

2011-11-02T19:24:00.008-06:00

This is one of my favorite records this year, partly because of the photographs on the covers and the label. The image above must be of the lobby of Robert Rathburn Wilson Hall, a high-rise laboratory that's pretty much become the symbol of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, or Fermilab, in Batavia, Illinois (take a virtual tour here!). It was the world's second largest energy particle accelerator until September 2011 when it ceased acclerating energy particles -- right on time for this release by ADR, Solitary Pursuits, on the new but already baddass label Public Information.

The photo on the label, taken by Michael Vallera, quickly got me thinking about The Drowned World, a science fiction novel by J.G. Ballard in which the polar icecaps have melted, turning a lot of the great cities of the world into tropical swamps that are partially submerged and completely overgrown with vegetation. There's pirates and lagoons and dreamscapes and, yeah, it's on some dystopian type vision of the future or maybe the present. (As a related aside, in reading about Fermilab, I came across this detail: "Weston, Illinois was a community next to Batavia voted out of existence by its village board in 1966 to provide a site for Fermilab." A world literally wiped off the map...)

I could try to run through all the biography and etc. on ADR (honestly it would be info I scrounged up via DJ Google anyway) but I'm more interested in the music and images. Suffice to say these are some synthesizer jawns that's on the melancholic tip. Kinda reminiscent of Aphrodite's Child, especially the vibe of "Aegian Sea." Some of this seems to be about space, not actually interstellar, but more so in an antiquated planetarium or shuttered particle accelerator experience kind of way. The track titles include "Post PC," "Mercury Retrograde" and Jupiter Rising," which should give you an indication of what we're dealing with here. Highly recommended.

Keysound (2010)

2011-11-01T17:33:00.007-06:00

With this label you get thrown directly into the city mix. Admittedly, we're just spectators standing on the curb, but this immediate slice of a scene is one of nighttime LDN in transit what with the bus zooming by. On the this side of this vinyl, there's a quote, "You, me, everbody on the 38 bus," and with the "38 EP" title, it's pretty clear that this release was made with a particular locality in mind. The picture has both movement and a sense of place, which I think works perfect with the music. The LV boys are locked into some forward tilted beats and unexpected sounds, while poet Josh Idehen rips it and I don't mean in a 1999 slam poetry kinda way. Also, their Routes full length is worth checking for with its get on the get on the get on the get on the get on the "Northern Line" track.

Recently there's been a palpable backlash against the concept of music or DJs taking you on a journey. I can think of a couple reviews in the last month or so, only one of which I can find, that try to reject "the journey" notion as cliche -- but then go ahead and fall back on it anyway. Anyhoo. The ideas of locale and travel in relation to music are recurrent themes with almost all of the releases on Keysound, which I have definitely come to appreciate. One of the label heads, Martin Clark, wrote a while back about how he was really proud that so many of the labels on Keysound had pictures of locations that were somehow associated with the recordings or artists. In a moment when it's so easy to fall into feeling like all music is becoming increasingly deterritorialized, it's pretty dope to stumble on sounds like this that are so firmly rooted in place.

And all of this is to say hold on to your hats. Now that I got Halloween out of my system yesterday, it's time to get on the bus, we're going on a ride with some of my favorite labels.

Planet Mu (2010)

2011-10-31T18:42:00.011-06:00

Happy Halloween! I figured this would be a fun -- and appropriate -- label to make my return to blogland...

I can remember the moment this sick puppy arrived in the mail. I pulled it out of the box, flipped it over from the standard Planet Mu b-side and had one of those oh-snap-it-puts-the-lotion-on-its-skin-type moments when I saw this label. Scary clowns man. Kinda curious about the use of the picture. For me it doesn't really match up with what's happening sonically -- with a visual like this you're really expecting some balls-out (juggling balls, that is) electronic stompers. This is the second time I've written up an Ikonika label and she's pretty true to form here, albeit somewhat mellowed out. She comes with a chip-tune Caribbean stylee and piggly-squiggly bass line on "DCKHDBTCH," then heads for a sorta-kinda druggy bonus level of dungeon adventure on "Ingredients." "Shouldn't Be Here" is more four-to-the-floor, but definitely stays on the melancholy synthesizer side of life with a ghost of a vocal sample. Peep all the samples here.

As for the label itself, not to get too Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but I wonder what this clown-man-monster is looking at off label. His gaze is certainly fixed on something something. Is he readying an attack or is his hand up to ward off another plastic-masked crazy? I'm going to go with the idea that this is one hongry circus freak with stubble-mouth looking to take a bite out of that pointed pizza bianca coming his way.

Light (1971)

2011-10-30T08:05:00.000-06:00

This label design includes one of my favorite things to see on a record - a variation on the off-center concentric circles seen in Duchamp's rotoreliefs. If you close one eye and stare at the label at it spins, it creates an effect of depth.

The Cross and the Switchblade is an Evangelical Christian film where Pat Boone brings the word of Jesus to some street gangs and troubled youths, one of whom is played by Erik Estrada.

Cool horns and drums all over the place on this record. The track "Addict's Psalm" is particularly interesting, with a spoken passage from Psalms mixed with reverb over a jazzy breakbeat.

Brunswick (1969)

2011-10-29T08:04:00.002-05:00

This reminds me of the really classy Decca label from the early 70's.

Young & Holt played on some classic Ramsey Lewis albums before forming their own group.

Lizard (1969)

2011-10-28T08:03:00.000-05:00

It's called Lizard, but the mascot is a cat. A cat named Lizard? A lizard-cat? Either way, it's a great logo.

This record is an awesome piece of funky instrumental soul. Humphrey wrote a book called "No. 1 Soul Drums," so you know he's not kidding around. Check out "Detroit" for extra-exciting drums.

National Film Board of Canada (1977)

2011-10-27T08:02:00.002-05:00

How about this: a National Film Board of Canada double LP? This rare beast features soundtracks from some interesting NFB short films, notable highlights being three of Norman McLaren's scratched and synthesized pieces for his animations Blinkety-Blank, Rhythmetic, and Neighbors. The keeper on here for me is the soundtrack for Peter Foldes' early computer animation Metadata. This track starts with a long passage of some wicked-sounding synthesized squalls that transition into a funky psychedelic rock thing. A real rare groove to look out for.

The graphic NFB logo character is great but somewhat under-used on this subdued silver-gray label. In comparison with how energetic and visually thrilling the films represented on this record are, the label and package design are pretty low-key and serious.

Thanks to animator and record-collector Matt Marsden for finally putting this treasure into my hands after years of searching!

Dark Horse (1974)

2011-10-26T09:11:00.003-05:00

Check out the fantastic DARK HORSE RECORDS text in the outer red band on this label. Not to mention the amazing horse!

Kuckuck (1979)

2011-10-25T12:27:00.004-05:00

Collector Not Completist is back in action!

This excellent Deuter album has one of the most beautiful labels around.

CNC Spring Update

2011-04-27T20:34:00.003-05:00

Collector Not Completist is on temporary hiatus - back soon with more fantastic labels!

Michael Hurley, "Ancestral Swamp" (Gnomonsong, 2007)

2011-03-06T23:33:00.000-06:00

I love Michael Hurley's painting, and this center label is a nice little reproduction. Here are a few more example images from his web site.

Thanks to Alexander for inviting me to post on the blog! It's be fun!

Hank Snow, The Singing Ranger, and the Rainbow Ranch Boys, "Country Classics" (Stetson)

2011-03-06T11:52:00.000-06:00

Songbirds of America in Color, Sound and Story (Book-Records, Inc, 1956)

2011-03-05T02:16:00.000-06:00

Jack Rose, "Luck in the Valley" (Thrill Jockey, 2010)

2011-03-04T01:29:00.002-06:00

Utah Phillips, "El Capitan" (Philo Records, 1975)

2011-03-03T02:51:00.004-06:00

Besides love for Utah himself, really digging how the designers of this center label incorporated the center spindle cut-out as a part of the rainbow as well as part of the "o" in Philo.

Moondog, "The Viking of Sixth Avenue" (Honest Jon's Records, 2008)

2011-03-02T00:35:00.003-06:00

Fred McDowell, "Fred McDowell" (Mississippi Records, 2009)

2011-03-01T01:46:00.001-06:00

Originally released by Arhoolie Records in 1966! Different record center label, I imagine..

Minutemen, Project Mersh (SST, 1985)

2011-02-28T02:20:00.006-06:00

Marion Sumner "Road to Home" (June Appal, 1979)

2011-02-27T02:01:00.005-06:00

My favorite folk and old time record label center design (of those that are standardized). June Appal is still going strong out of Whitesburg, Kentucky just across the state line from Dock Boggs' hometown of Norton, Virginia and a short drive to Viper, KY where Jean Ritchie grew up. I can't say enough good things about Appalshop and the work they have done and continue to do documenting Appalachian culture and history.

Hank Penny "Penny Blows His Top" (Cow Girl Boy Records)

2011-02-26T02:24:00.005-06:00

Rare Bands 1926-1931 (Vol. 6) (Historical Records)

2011-02-24T23:24:00.004-06:00

Historical is a label founded by Arnold S. Kaplan in 1965. He was also the owner of Biograph Records, founded in the early 1960s which was one of the first to issue records made from piano rolls by Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin and George Gershwin from the 1910s and 1920s. Excellent tunes and one of my favorite center labels.

A Hodge Podge of Off-Beat Jazz (Music for Collectors)

2011-02-23T19:47:00.003-06:00

I tried looking up information about this record label, but my Google search was futile. Looks like this was the first release for this San Francisco-based label. I chose this record because I love the font choice and the song titles "I'm Wild About Horns On Automobiles" and "Gut Bucket Shuffle."

The Very Early Patsy Montana & The Prairie Ramblers (Cattle Records, 1981)

2011-02-22T13:26:00.008-06:00

Salty Holmes joins Patsy Montana and The Prairie Ramblers on this album released by the German record label Cattle Records. I love the ghost-y, sullen looking outline of a cow face looking straight out, contrasted with the gold (though you can't see very well the sparkle upon scanning it).

Nawair-Ud-Deen Youth Association "Iberu Oluwa" (Nawair-Ud-Deen Records, 1984)

2011-02-20T12:49:00.004-06:00

In trying to find out anything at all about this record (I found out nothing at all) I learned that iberu Oluwa means "fear of God." It's Yoruba. Anyway, thanks for having me! See you later!

Copper Glove "Surviving the Garden of Hate" (Arbor, 2010)

2011-02-19T16:12:00.002-06:00

Part two of my two-part Baltimore 7" bonanza: it's Door! "Fuck cops."

Little Howling Wolf "D'Mau Mau" b/w "James Sweet Jimmy" (Solidarity)

2011-02-18T09:59:00.005-06:00

It must be said that the label design here has little intrinsic interest. The strength of Solidarity as a label name and the heroically plain font with which it's presented is appealing to me. As you may have guessed, the word solidarność at the bottom is Polski for solidarity and was the name of Poland's first non-Communist trade union. I know Wolf spent some time "behind the Curtain" in Poland and East Germany and is a life-long union member, so I suspect a relationship. Incidentally, I've been proud of my childhood neighbor, Wisconsin, in the last few days for joining the Egyptian working class in refusing a life of humiliation. And for winning the Super Bowl. This is going to be your year, guys.

Rockin' Sidney "My Zydeco Shoes Got the Zydeco Blues" (Maison de Soul, 1984)

2011-02-17T11:23:00.003-06:00

This is a much-needed antidote to yesterday's post, I think. The modesty of la Maison itself is really sweet, but we know the party is happening because it's radiating an 8th note (a flow of duration) so powerful that it interrupts the Jazz Age font (the same one seen on Clifton Chenier's "Bugalusa Boogie," interestingly) before its recuperation into the inky ether.

Mississippi Fred McDowell "Shake 'Em on Down" (Tomato, 1989)

2011-02-16T11:25:00.003-06:00

At some point in Ken Burns' Jazz, Wynton Marsalis says, "Jazz is like gumbo." It was a stupid thing to say and this is a stupid design for a label.

Joseph Falcon "Louisiana Cajun Music" (Arhoolie, 1968)

2011-02-15T12:06:00.003-06:00

I've noted not a single Arhoolie label on the blog and I correct that so. The logo is better than that of any other folk label I know. County, Tradition and Shanachie all share a sort of "good old days" motif, which I've always found a little offensive, denying the dreams of rural people for the sake of a weirdly antagonistic romance. Though I suspect their project has regressed in recent years, Arhoolie seemed to understand the injurious possibility of this rhetoric of purity. The jittery guitar doodle and hepcat typeface suggest an embrace of urbanity, of the anxious proletary and the wild abandon of their New American Ethnic Music.

Marika Papagika "The Further the Flame, the Worse It Burns Me" (Mississippi Records, 2010)

2011-02-14T11:39:00.006-06:00

It's a beautiful day in Baltimore so I'm going to try to keep this brief. I'm not so much trying to rep Mississippi here as I am this record's compiler, Ian Nagoski, who used to live in Baltimore and now lives in Western Maryland, where I assume it's every bit as nice. It's not hard to see that this label was based on an old label and so I've included that label (courtesy of Leo Sarkisian via Ian) below. If you haven't heard this record yet you ought to. Music of sublime beauty by someone whom love failed utterly. Happy Valentine's Day!

Wha Ha Ha "Wha Ha Ha" (Recommended Records, 1983)

2011-02-13T13:25:00.004-06:00

I don't believe in lazy Sundays.

Crass "Stations of the Crass" (Crass Records, 1979)

2011-02-12T11:12:00.003-06:00

Anarchy and Peace be with you, Egypt!

La Düsseldorf "Viva" (Strand, 1978)

2011-02-11T11:28:00.004-06:00

If you know that Strand is German for beach, the label pretty much speaks for itself. That said, it's strange that the tiled boardwalk should take up most of the room between the dunes and the water, leaving hardly any beach at all. And what about all this blackness from whence I came? Is this really a beach? Why the garish advertisement? Wherever my journey may lead, the brash, corny Europeanness of the label design is so lovable and evocative, we're lucky to have it grace such an excellent record.

Walter Aziz "Assyrian Nation" (Nineveh Records, 1980)

2011-02-10T12:37:00.003-06:00

On the north end of Devon Ave. in Chicago there are two Assyrian video stores across the street from each other (and a block north of them the only Georgian bakery in the US). Each of them also sells CDs and cassettes of popular and classical music (there's a third category, for which we don't really have a name. You might call it "popular art music") from the Middle East, mostly Iraq and the Levant states. Only one of them, the one on the East side of the street, sells LPs, which are mostly European pressings of the same schlock you find clogging thrift store record bins. The single exception was this Walter Aziz record, which I bought based on the Nineveh Records logo. Ancient Nineveh sits in modern-day Mosul, Iraq. It was the capital of Assyria in Biblical times, founded by Ashur, whose Art Deco-style apotheosis you see on this label. I did not know those things at the time but I did know that Nineveh was where Jonah was ordered to go on mission, that his reluctance landed him in a whale's belly and that he ultimately got out and was able to convince the Ninevites to repent, thus sparing them God's wrath. I also remember that Mosul was the site of intense fighting a few years ago, the ruins of ancient Nineveh were imperiled (destroyed?) and thousands either died or fled. That's a lot more than most labels conjure up for me. You also get to see Assyrian script for the first time and the song titles read like a short, weird poem.

The Randolph Singers "English & Italian Madrigals" (Concert Hall)

2011-02-09T10:29:00.003-06:00

The delicate, disembodied conductor's hands signal a hush and prepare us for the first beat of the next measure. We are eternally suspended in our repose as they are in poised, knowing anticipation. Oh la la - how delightful! Finally a little elegance in here. Now we turn to the examples in chapter 36, page 2, noting especially Di Lasso's treatment of the 4-3 and plagal cadences. No, No, NO! I was lost in reverie! Why do I always fall for these traps?
Incidentally, this record at one point belonged to Tony Conrad (I bought it from his brother, Dan), who apparently stole it from the Harvard Library.

Hortus Musicus "Italy, Secular Music of the XIVth Century" (Melodiya, 1976)

2011-02-08T13:36:00.006-06:00

This is a sort of sequel to yesterday's post. Hortus Musicus is an Estonian group specializing in pre-Renaissance music and occasionally dabbling (I'm told) in non-Western and contemporary music. The music on this record is perfectly competent, beautiful and up-to-date scholarship-wise but it's the potential band and the potential record that really get me going. As we see in the picture below, these guys were total freaks.

"This is no way to present early music to the public! Get serious!" It bolsters some suspicions I've long held about cultural life in the Soviet Union and the extent to which the platitudes we've inherited about it are wrong. Why try to be someone else's cool? What's so cool about Rock & Roll? I happen to find the music of the Italian trecento very groovy, thank you.

Willis M. Gault "Viola d'Amore with String Orchestra" (The Ancient Instrument Society of Washington, DC)

2011-02-07T13:49:00.005-06:00

My opening gambit is what I consider the jewel of my collection. Inasmuch as records are not just records, this is my favorite record. The cover is just beautiful: we see Monsieur Gault in his woodshop, lit only by his shoplight (unflattering), smiling triumphantly with his prized viola d'amore resting on his knee. Amidst the dross and disappointment of the $2 bin, this record shone like a beacon and I could barely keep from crying. The single side of music is both unexceptional and deeply satisfying; the poor recording obscures the distinctiveness of the viola d'amore (a baroque viol with sympathetic strings) entirely but the amateurish enthusiasm of the performances (instrument-building is the primary passion here) more than saves it. With all that in mind, the label's plainness carries its own emotional charge and I would have it no other way.
I could keep going but Richard Brautigan sums it up more nicely than I could:
"It looked like a fairytale functioning happily in the post-World War II gothic of America before television crippled the imagination of America and turned people indoors and away from living out their own fantasies with dignity."

Pärson Sound - Pärson Sound (Subliminal Sounds, 1966-68/2010)

2011-02-06T15:35:00.005-06:00

3 LP box from Subliminal Sounds released in 2010 - one of my absolute favorites. Some stoned 1960s Swedish grooves. I scanned side A from LP 1 and 2. Unfortunately, LP 3 wouldn't scan without a strange pattern that ruined it - it was a forest scene. The swirl pattern is the B side of each record. Purchased Winter 2010 from Forced Exposure.

Anyway, guest blogging here for the last two weeks has been a whole lot of fun. Thanks to Alexander for inviting me to post.

Jack O' Fire - "Six Super Shock Soul Songs" (Estrus Records, 1993)

2011-02-05T12:12:00.003-06:00

Campy 1950s Halloween themed garage rock revival 10 inch. Purchased Summer 2010 at Joe's Record Paradise in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mika Miko - "We Be Xuxa" (Post Present Medium, 2009)

2011-02-04T18:31:00.004-06:00

Peter Stubb - "Selected Cuts, Vol. 1" (Family Night Records, 2007)

2011-02-03T21:14:00.004-06:00

Prolific Dalton, Georgia musician Peter Stubb's first compilation. This dude has been self-releasing his own homemade cassettes for years, kind of like a Georgia Daniel Johnston. Purchased Winter 2009 at Reactionary Records in Atlanta, Georgia.

Frantic - "Attack of the Grizzlie" (Die Slaughterhaus/Douchemaster Records, 2008)

2011-02-02T18:22:00.005-06:00

One of my favorites out of the Atlanta underground. Also notable for being co-released by two excellent Atlanta based labels (Die Slaughterhaus and Douchemaster). Purchased Spring 2009 from Die Slaughterhaus.

Royal Trux - "Accelerator" (Drag City, 1998)

2011-02-01T18:40:00.004-06:00

Accelerator was Royal Trux return to the indies after a post-grunge million dollar Virgin Records deal. Virgin hated their previous album, Sweet Sixteen (see album cover), so much that they dropped the band early and paid all expenses on Accelerator even though it would be released on indie label Drag City. The label fits in nicely with the 1980s hotrod theme of the album. Purchased Fall 2009 at Criminal Records in Atlanta, Georgia.

Faust - "Faust IV" (Virgin Records, 1973)

2011-01-31T19:04:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite records of all time. I love this mythical psychedelic Virgin Records label design - they don't make 'em like this anymore.
From Wikipedia: "The original Virgin logo (known to fans as the "Gemini" or "Twins" logo) was designed by English artist and illustrator Roger Dean: a young naked woman in mirror image with a large long-tailed serpent and the word "Virgin" in Dean's familiar script. A variation on the logo was used for the spin-off Caroline Records label."
Actually, I don't remember where I picked up this one. But this reissue was "researched, spearheaded, and co-ordinated" in 2009 by Tom Recchion (of the Los Angeles Free Music Society/Poo-Bah Records)...

Thee Oh Sees - "Help" (In The Red Records, 2009)

2011-01-30T13:18:00.004-06:00

Thee Oh Sees (a.k.a. OCS, The Ohsees) have been consistently delivering several nuggets every single year - almost always on colored vinyl. This LP, one of their strongest, had particularly nice art and design, all by regular collaborator William Keihn. Purchased Spring 2009 at Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles.

Bar-B-Q Killers - "Comely" (Twilight Records, 1987)

2011-01-29T12:07:00.006-06:00

Athens, Georgia wasn't just R.E.M. in the 1980s -- the BBQ Killers were punk as fuck, as evidenced by their performance in the documentary "Athens, GA: Inside/Out." I buy this, their only LP, every time I come across it. Purchased Summer 2009 at Freakbeat Records in Los Angeles.

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band - "Sometime In New York City" (Apple Records, 1972)

2011-01-28T21:51:00.004-06:00

John <---> Yoko. Purchased Summer 2007 at Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis, Missouri.