FAIRPORT CONVENTION- Liege & Lief (1969)

Great British electric folk-rock starts here. This is the record that started it all, a collection of impeccable tunes sung with desperate ferocity by Sandy Denny. I used to think this was mere folk music and I was probably quick to dismiss it as just another acoustic guitar meets whinny vocals type of record. But I was a fool. This is a sensational electric folk LP with so much invention within it makes me wonder how they even made it.

DIG OF THE DAY (Sunday 13/06/10)

On Sunday morning, the missus & I often hit this second-hand market in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell and, invariably, I come back with a stack of cool records to keep me busy for a while (...well, a couple of days). As I am experimenting with this blog, I thought I'd discuss my finds. It may not be as interesting as it promises to be, but heck, I'll give it a go.

First I finally got round to buying The Mothers' classic double avant-garde LP, Uncle Meat. This is a very neat Canadian press in extremely good condition. I listened to the first disc and it's promising. In typical Zappa fashion, it will require repeated listens in order to pay of but I'm willing to wait.

Then I moved on to a dude who has this Soul/Funk/Hip-hop stall (well, mainly that and a bit of classic rock too). He has stacks of groovy records but as I am not made of money I had to pick a couple. This is a classic slice of Jazz Funk from Herbie Hancock's backing band on his Headhunters LP. God made me funky is worth the purchase alone. Great drum break at the start and an incredibly funky bassline. Essential! At the same stall, I snapped a copy of a rarely seen Hancock LP called Mwandishi. It was released in 1970 and is quite reminiscent of what Miles Davis did on Bitches Brew or In A Silent Way. Electric Jazz with touches of funk, very understated but quite powerful.

 I then found this Ten Years After LP for very cheap and since I like the band, I gave it a shot. Some excellent songs on it but nothing mind-altering if you get my drift.

Finally, I rounded up my purchases with three very different LPs. In fact you couldn't get any more varied LPs if you tried. The Innocence is bubblegum pop from the US Kama Sutra label. It's very Monkee-ish, has a couple of nice tunes on it but it's not something you would spend ages listening to. Pleasant enough. I think I got seduced by the slightly psychedelic sleeve. I'm always sucked in. I also got the first Henry Cow LP which I haven't listened to as yet but I expect some cool avant-prog at the very least. The Serpico OST sort of fell into my hands and it looked cool enough to come home with me. Some very groovy cop-show style tunes on this. This ain't Bullitt however.

KEVIN COYNE: Marjory Razorblade (1973)

I first became aware of the music of legend Kevin Coyne whilst reading the transcript for an interview John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols) gave on London's Capitol Radio. DJ Tommy Vance asked the ex-Pistols frontman to bring a selection of great records to play on his show and talk about the music & why he rated these artists. Amongst the wide palette of sounds brought in by Lydon were numerous luminaries such as Can (Tony Vance played the whole of Halleluwah, 17 minutes of full blast Krautrock), Bowie, Nico, Lou Reed, Beefheart and Tim Buckley. Unsurprisingly, he also took in some great reggae and dub LPs (Augustus Pablo , Ken Boothe, Peter Tosh). I say unsurprisingly because almost every great UK punk band was listening to reggae back then. Anyway,  I noticed this song called Eastbourne Ladies amongst the list. This led me on a wild search for a copy of the said tune. Subsequently, I discovered that it came from a classic double LP entitled Marjory Razorblade which took me ages to track down on vinyl. Finally I found a copy on Ebay for 10 bucks (shocked as I was) and proceeded to listen to the LP. Eastbourne Ladies is a killer song and so are many of the selections on this fine album. The style is pitched between Blues, folk-rock and a slight Beefheart sensibility which in itself isn't a bad thing. The songs are all great, from Marlene to House On The Hill with its mournful slide guitar to the manic Good Boy. Kevin Coyne died a few years ago in his adopted home of Nuremberg in Germany. He was also a visual artist and played his guitar lying flat on his lap. He was, in the words of Paul Simon, a 'most peculiar man'.

The ANIMATED EGG- Guitar Freakout (1967, Reissue 2009)

The Animated Egg's debut record originally issued back in 1967 is one of the most sought-after psychedelic exploitation LPs of all time. It fetches ridiculous sums on E-bay mainly because feverish collectors are prepared to spend big bucks on this rare piece of wax. When it was originally issued however, it barely made a dint anywhere, soon ending up in bargain bins throughout America.Thanks to the good folks at Sundazed records, we can now all enjoy the aforementioned 'guitar freakout'. This double LP is nothing like the many so-called psych pastiches available in just about every charity shop across the country (and believe me I own quite a few myself). This, along with fantastic releases by Drum-tastic muso Sandy Nelson, is just about the most exciting psych instrumental record I have ever heard. You could so easily slot any of these songs into a DJ set in a club. No one would realise. The bloke who came up with the Animated Egg concept goes by the name of Jerry Cole. He was a session man from L.A who clearly had an ear for mean instrumental rock covers. Anyhow, this is well worth pursuing. A very cool record indeed.

Hear some here.

HUBERT LAWS- In The Beginning (1974)

Amongst the many records that I spun on my turntable today on this rainy Sunday afternoon, this is the one which got me thinking about music as a whole. To cut a story short, Hubert Laws is the Jimi Hendrix of flute. He's an unbelievable player, endlessly inventive and fresh-sounding as ever. He, like Miles Davis and  ahem..Lady Gaga, attended the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York where he trained as a flautist/flutist (no one really knows huh?). On this double LP released on the CTI label (a mighty fine US jazz/soul-jazz label with a roster including the likes of Bob James, Grover Washington Jr and many other luminaries of the genre) is considered by many as Laws' pinnacle and his most accomplished set of recordings. The flute is funky throughout and the many musos who play on this record are obviously guns in their own right.  The cover art is as striking as the music itself (that's why I like vinyl you see, it's the ultimate art form, music and visual art rolled into one nifty package, if the music is good that is...). The tunes are mostly made of covers ranging from a beautiful rendition of Gymnopedie #1 (By Erik Satie) to Moment's Notice, a scintillating Coltrane instrumental. It's worth mentioning that Laws has played with countless musical celebrities from Herbie Hancock to Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder. The man is a legend.

 Hubert Laws in full flight here

Dig of the day: The NILSMEN- The Sand Step/Le Winston (1970)

After work today, I decided to stop by one of the many Salvation Army shops dotted around where I live (btw we call them Salvos down here). I walk into the store, swiftly locate the record bin and proceed to sift through the usual crap found in the aforementioned pile. I have to say that I have a soft spot for bargain bin 7"s. They always seem to grab my attention more than the LPs. Maybe it's because they're easier to handle, who knows? Or maybe it's because I've had better scores with 7" in op-shops. And besides, for 50 cents a pop, what have you got to lose, huh? Anyhow, after sorting a few of these babies I stumble across this mildly psychedelic picture sleeve 7". I flip it and read the blurb at the back about this Swedish lads who call themselves the Nilsmen. They're the best thing since slice bread or so it seems. It grabs my attention although the record looks more and more like a cigarette commercial as I examine it (There's a lady smoking Camels on the sleeve, There are camels on the sleeve, the lettering is clearly modelled on the Camel cigarettes logo, the B-side is called Le Winston...). I pull out the record and it's a mono issue on a German label...looks too cool to dismiss. I start thinking how this could possibly be a nugget of epic proportions. I get home, put it on the turntable and it so delivers! The record is an organ-drenched freakbeat-ish number with a couple of KILLER BREAKBEATS. The B-side is just as danceable. This is what crate-digging is all about folks. The simple pleasure of finding something totally obscure and totally awesome.

Here's the tune in full

EAST OF UNDERGROUND- S/T (1971) / THE MONKS- Black Monk Time (1966)

What do American GIs posted in Germany do when they've got too much time on their hands? They make classic records! What else? Here are two records showcasing the talent, skill and diversity lying dormant within the US military. Here are also two records with black sleeves, perhaps a sign of the global darkness and conflict-charged atmosphere surrounding the musicians who made these records, with US-led wars raging across the globe (and ultimately their sole premise for being stationed in Germany; the Cold War). 


The East Of Underground LP is a collection of soul and funk covers (I Want To Take You Higher by Sly & The Family Stone opens the LP, if that's any indication and Curtis Mayfield's (Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below, We're All Going is one of the many highlights here). The renditions of these Afro-classics are impeccable, complete with top-notch vocal harmonies and jumpy basslines. This was Wax Poetics' (the hip-hop, jazz & soul magazine) first release when the record label of the same name got started. Not a bad choice for starters as this is a most totally obscure piece which only serious collectors would have even heard of, let alone owned an actual copy. The band's history is pretty sketchy at best so I shall not launch into it. It's a mighty fine record, take my word for it.


As for the Monks, well, isn't this one of the truly exciting garage/proto-punk records EVER made by anybody? Their influence has been enormous and even Julian Cope can be quoted in Krautrocksampler (his masterful account of the Kosmische Musik scene of the 60's/70's) saying that young Germans would have truly found inspiration in the revolutionary music made by these wild servicemen. What is striking when hearing this record for the first time is the ferocity with which Gary Burger's larynx explodes and the frantic pace of the drumming. This is a real groover of a record. You could dance to it if you so felt inclined. Then there's the organ which sounds as fresh today as it probably did back then. I don't think a great deal of folks would have heard this gem at the time and there aren't too many people who know about this record these days either. It's made for the folk like you or I, the nerds who endlessly hunt down records everywhere there is a crate to be dug. But we're drifting from the main point here. This record is magical and everyone who claims to like music should own it - NOT rip it from some dodgy file sharing service - and worship it. The tunes are raw and quite experimental, especially lyric-wise. Complications opens with the lines "Complications, Constipation, people die for you..." and Monk Time erupts into a political rant about the Vietnam War ("Why d'you send all these kids over there in Vietnam, Mad Vietcong, my brother died in Vietnam"). Other highlights include I Hate You and Drunken Maria, a bouncy organ-drenched and somewhat nonsensical ditty. The tribal rhythm can be best witnessed on songs like Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy and We Do Wie Du. A mighty record by any standards. 


Oh and I forgot to mention that the Monks actually dressed like Monks (with head shaved and all), but you knew that already.


Smiling Faces by East Of Underground and Drunken Maria by The Monks


Enjoy!

MUSTAFA OZKENT- Genclik Ile Elele (1972)

"The daddy of all Turkish rarities, this record has to be heard to be believed and even then it's still unbelievable. Vintage Turkish B-boy instrumental LP from 1972 which should be sharing throne space with other ultimate breaks and beats such as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, Funky Drummer and Johnny The Fox" 

Or so it says on the sticker on the sleeve of this wondrous re-issue. The UK record label Finders Keepers have a real knack for unearthing gems of a rare beauty from the shelves of oblivion. Every so often, whilst browsing on their website, I feel almost instantly compelled to purchase whichever latest offering they have dared release. Let's just say, it's a fucking glorious label. I'm almost certain that I'll be discussing more of their releases on this blog in a not too distant future. I would love to see Andy Votel's record collection which, no doubt, must be a behemoth of astronomical proportions. He's the co-founder of Finders Keepers by the way. Anyway, this record which we have here is the bomb, no less. They say "Anatolian Rock",  I say "give me more".  Mustafa Ozkent was a Turkish multi-instrumentalist whose passions included carpentry and electronics and who designed various instruments. The music found on this LP is purely instrumental and insanely funky. In fact, some parts are quite reminiscent of Can, the Krautrock outfit, especially the drumming which is not poles apart from Michael Karoli's work on Ege Bayamasi (funnily enough, Can's only Turkish titled LP). This LP is a riot from start to finish. The window to a world full of possibilities.

Check out the second track on this phenomenal record