SUPERFLY + GOSPEL = KARATE EXPLOSION!

The equation is very simple and should have made for the most awesome CD ever released! I saw this and my eye balls jumped right out of their sockets and landed onto the CD rack to see if it were true. Yes my friends it's true.
Curtis Mayfield: Gospel
However, upon first listen I've decided to re-work the equation to:
SUPERFLY + GOSPEL = TAI-CHI TREMOR.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that it's a snoozefest, but it isn't as sweaty and grinding as I thought it would be. I guess I set the expectation bar James Brown high for this one and it just didn't get there. Probably my fault anyway for doing that.
"People Get Ready", with the Impressions is a good track and almost worth the whole CD, but alot of the other stuff is just ok. Mr. AMG felt the same way about it that I did, but the folks at Amazon really dug it. Everybody knows that these are just my opinions so you may feel different. So if you're curious, snag it or like Curtis Mayfield, snag it.
Mayfield's kind of sad Bio is here at Wiki. You should give it a read if you want to be cool and stuff.

Track List:
1. Amen
2. People Get Ready
3. Whever You Leadeth Me
4. You Ought To Be In Heaven
5. Jesus
6. A Prayer
7. Meeting Over Yonder
8. Something To Believe In
9. Love To The People
10. We Got To Have Peace
11. When We're Alone
12. Keep On Pushing
13. It's All Right /Amen


Quick Stats:
Curtis Mayfield - Gospel
69 MB
192kbps
http://rapidshare.com/files/1497525/Crapfield.rar.html
pw = PushermanCrap

More Noise from Wisconsin

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my previous Killdozer post. I almost decided not to post this one, but I really did appreciate the comments I received. This post is my way of thanking you.

I already told you all about Killdozer, so I guess I don't have to tell you again. This CD contains two recordings previously released on vinyl. Intellectuals are the Shoeshine Boys of the Ruling Elite was Killdozer's first album, released back in 1984. It contains a nasty version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Run Through the Jungle and a song about everyone's favorite serial killer from Wisconsin, Ed Gein. Snakeboy (or possibly Snake Boy) was their second album, released in 1985. It contains a version of Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl, that you've gotta hear to believe. It also features one of my very favorite Killdozer songs, King of Sex. ("I am the King of Sex! And I come from the state of Tex-as!")

These recordings were released on the Touch And Go label, by the way. Just thought I'd mention that. That fact alone should tell you quite a bit about what this band sounds like. At any rate, if you liked For Ladies Only, I'm sure you'll like this. Not so many cover songs, but this was recorded when they were younger and fresher, and it is musically much more interesting than their later material.

I'm not going to post a complete track listing here, but you should be aware that tracks 1 through 8 comprise their debut album, while tracks 9 through 19 comprise Snakeboy. For maximum enjoyment, serve with cheese and Point beer.

http://rapidshare.com/files/1508359/IntellectualSnake.rar.html
pw = TouchAndCrap

"They're Neat."

That's what it says on the reverse side of this picture disk, "They're Neat." This is my one and only picture disk. These days, every cd is covered with a picture or some snazzy graphics. But back in the days of vinyl, nearly every record was just plain black. Some albums were released on colored vinyl, often making them collectors items worth a bit of money. Rarer yet were picture disks like this one.

Killdozer is a band from Madison, Wisconsin that took their name from a short story by Theodore Sturgeon (one of my favorite writers). They made "sounding like crap" into a fine art.

I only saw them live once, but it was a memorable show. I went with two friends, one of whom had seen the band several years earlier in Madison and had hung out with them a bit. Before the show started, he was really excited to be seeing them again. The other guy I was with knew nothing about the band, but figured that if we thought they were cool, the band must be cool. Not long into Killdozer's set, they both wanted to leave as quickly as possible. The guy who hadn't heard them before thought they were horrible. The guy who had seen them confessed that he just figured that if the band had been playing shows for all these years they must have gotten better. No! You don't get it! This is what they do, it's their thing! I was loving the show and insisted on sticking around.

Later in the show, the lead singer, Michael "Mr. Romance" Gerald stormed off the stage and out the room. The room, by the way, was an old warehouse that had recently been turned into a space for low-budget, all-ages shows. The only seating was in the form of several old discarded sofas and easy chairs. Teens sat around burning incense and smoking cigarettes. When Michael finally returned to the stage, he berated the audience for burning incense, yelling that it was hurting his throat. I could kind of sympathize, but I thought that was pretty funny coming from a guy who sounds like he lives on a steady diet of gravel and gin.

Anyway, this picture disk, For Ladies Only, is an album of covers of songs from the 70's. Cover songs are what these guys do best, really. They are pretty merciless when making someone else's music sound bad. I prefer their version of Sweet Home Alabama on the compilation album God's Favorite Dog and their horrendous version of Cinnamon Girl, but the songs on this album are pretty fun. In particular, I love the complete destruction of one of my favorite songs from the 70's, Funk #49 by the James Gang. For Ladies Only was produced in 1989 by the soon-to-become famous Butch Vig at Smart Studios in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin. This picture of the band looks pretty similar to the pictures that appear on the reverse side of my picture disk. Mr. Gravel-Voice is the guy in the middle.


I intend to follow this post with Killdozer's first album, Intellectuals Are The Shoeshine Boys Of The Ruling Elite (the CD version includes the album Snakeboy as well). Unless, of course, someone beats me to it and sends me a link. I also plan on posting God's Favorite Dog. If anyone has a link to this recording, please send it to me. It would save me the trouble of ripping it from vinyl.

Anyway, here are the songs they chose to massacre:

1. Hush (orig. by Deep Purple)
2. Good Lovin' Gone Bad (orig. by Bad Company)
3. Burnin' Love (orig. by Elvis Presley)
4. You've Never Been This Far Before (orig.by Conway Twitty)
5. One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)
6. Take The Money And Run (orig. by Steve Miller)
7. American Pie (orig. by Don McLean)
8. Funk #49 (orig. by James Gang)

And here's the link:

http://rapidshare.com/files/176860/LadiesOnly.rar.html
pw = OnlyCrap

A Cup of Java?

Hello, L. Chupacabra here. I know my job is to post tracks ripped from vinyl on this blog, and I am working on some vinyl for y'all, but in the mean time, I thought I'd offer up this recording. It's not crap I found at the library, but I think it fits in pretty well with Escape Goat's motif. I present Javanese Court Gamelan, recordings of the Pura Paku Alaman, Jogyakarta, directed by K.R.T. Wasitodiningrat. It's on the Nonesuch label (which is always a good sign), part of their Explorer Series.

A gamelan is basically a percussion ensemble made up of xylophones, gongs, drums and other crap. The liner notes for this disc claim that "the epitome of the playing style are to be found in four princely courts, two each in the neighboring cities of Jogyakarta and Surakarta." This recording was made in one of these courts, the Paku Alaman in Jogyakarta, on January 10, 1971. It's a decent recording, and gamelan music is not quite like anything else you are going to hear. You might not find yourself humming the tunes in the shower, but I think you'll find it's worth a listen.

http://rapidshare.de/files/36298246/gamelan.rar.html
pw = JavaCrap

THIS BLOG KILLS FASCISTS!

Not really. This Blog wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless it was a FASCIST FLY! Then this Blog would spring into action and chase that FASCIST FLY allover the house with a rolled up newspaper and SMASH it all over the window!
Up to this point I've avoided any kind of political discussions here and concentrated on the music. It's not that I don't have any political opinions, the opposite is true, I'm kind of a big mouth about the state of affairs. However, there isn't any shortage of big mouth political pundits on the net and I'd be just another big mouth if I went in that direction. I'll just say this, The United States needs Woody Guthrie now more than perhaps ever. I'll go as far to say we need 1,000 Woody Guthries. Ok, that was my mild political rant. Now on to the music.

The Library had probably 6 or 7 different Woody Guthrie CDs and this is just the one I snagged. Woody Guthrie: Dust Bowl Ballads on the Rounder label. Oddly enough the album was issued by two different labels in 1964, Buddha and Rounder. Mr. AMG says:

Woody Guthrie's powerful, evocative, insightful narratives about the life and trials of Southwestern migrant workers battling the Dust Bowl were initially issued on two six-song albums in 1940. Later, the entire 14-song session was released on a 1964 album. This LP was reissued on CD in 1988. It includes some of Guthrie's finest, most memorable prose, coupled with poignant vocals and sparse, effective harmonica accompaniment. The resiliency, spirit, and memories of both his early life and people he'd known are presented on such cuts as "I Ain't Got No Home," "Dust Pneumonia Blues," and "Dust Bowl Blues." Guthrie was a master storyteller, and his semi-autobiographical accounts remain among American music's most striking some 54 years after their original issue. The 2000 reissue CD on Buddha adds an alternate version of "Talking Dust Bowl Blues" and the original liner notes written by Guthrie himself

Since I got the Rounder release I didn't get the extra song and the Woody liner notes. Maybe I'll see if another Library has the Buddha release just so I can read them. As the title suggests, the songs on this one are mainly focused on the The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl days of the
central and western United States so there's only a small slice of Woody's politically charged lyrics that he's more known for on this one.
This is pretty interesting: from Wiki,

"Guthrie wrote his most famous song, "This Land Is Your Land," and here are a few lesser known verses,

"In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple;
By the relief office, I'd seen my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,
Is this land made for you and me?

As I went walking, I saw a sign there,
And on the sign there, It said "no trespassing." [In another version, the sign reads "Private Property"]
But on the other side, it didn't say nothing!
That side was made for you and me.

These verses were sometimes omitted in subsequent recordings, sometimes by Guthrie himself."

Link time:
Good short Woody Guthrie Bio from Wiki
The official Woody Guthrie site with all kinds of stuff and lyrics.

Track List:
1. The Great Dust Storm (Dust Storm Disaster)
2. I Ain't Got No Home
3. Talking Dust Bowl Blues
4. Vigilante Man
5. Dust Can't Kill Me
6. Dust Pneumonia Blues
7. Pretty Boy Floyd
8. Blowin' Down The Road (I Ain't Going To Be Treated This Way)
9. Tom Joad-Part 1
10. Tom Joad-Part 2
11. Dust Bowl Refugee
12. Do Re Mi
13. Dust Bowl Blues
14. Dusty Old Dust (So Long It's Been Good To Know Yuh)

Quick Stats:
Woody Guthrie - Dust Bowl Ballads (Rounder)
59MB
192 kbps
http://rapidshare.de/files/34543097/Crapscists.rar.html
pw=CrapFascists

Hey kids, I have some more music stuff for you!

Rough Guide to African Music for Children
This is really the one I wanted to post after, "The Jungle Book" but then I found out about Sonny Rollins' Birthday so of course I had to do a Sonny Rollins entry. This is another one I found in the kiddie section at the Library. I was pretty happy when I found it because it's a Rough Guide comp and there was a 90% chance that it would ROCK! I'll just say........it indeed ROCKS!

The title is a bit confusing because this ain't no silly kiddie album. This compilation was selected by a bunch of kids in England with some being as young as 5. They were given several African music albums and they were to write down what their favorite songs were and this is how the compilation was made. One listen to this and you will discover that the kids who picked these tracks out weren't any old average run of the mill kids. These kids were the cool kids that sit in the back of the bus and in the back of the classroom all the time. I bet some of the kids were even too cool to ride a bus! All I can say is that it is indeed another fine Rough Guide Compilation. I've yet to hear a Rough Guide that wasn't outstanding. Next time you're in a CD Shop, share the love and throw some dough towards Rough Guide's way. They truly are a great label. You can't go wrong with a Rough Guide purchase. And no I don't work for them, but I wish I did.

Mr. AMG says,

"Hallelujah! Finally an album for children that doesn't talk down to them. That could just be because the music here was selected by kids, who obviously have better taste than most adults -- and certainly more adventurous. A disc that ranges from the electro roots of Mali's Issa Bagoyogo, through JJC & 419 Squad's rap, to the glorious Zulu harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, is definitely doing something right. The disc also spans the continent very well, with some great sounds from Ethiopia, Nigeria (a smoking track from drummer Tony Allen), South African, and even the all too often ignored Mozambique. To anyone interested in music, every track is a killer, too, often pushing at envelopes, like the hip-hop of Tanzania's X Plastaz with "Kutesa Kwa Zamu" or the mix of Congolese soukous with Zimbabwean chimurenga that earmarks "Tornadoes vs Dynamos (3-3)" by Real Sounds, which also brings in the pan-African passion for soccer. This disc serves as a very strong reminder that kids don't need things simplified. They can enjoy good music every bit as much as adults, and with just as much variety -- certainly without the twee quality that characterizes so much children's music. Listen by yourself or with your kids; either way you'll love it."

This one contains and interesting version of, "Mbube" You all probably know it as, "Wimoweh", "Wimowey" or The Lion Sleeps Tonight, or maybe even Uh Weeeeeeeeeeooooooooowwweeeeeoooooweeeeeeoooooo
wweeeoooo. Well whatever you know it as, know it as an interesting, fascinating, and rather depressing story. The story behind the song could fill a book. I'm not going to write a book here, but I'll give you a quick synapses and then some links that you can read if you want to read more about it.

It was originally recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda as, "Mbube" (Lion) in South Africa and sold about 100,000 copies in South Africa and England. Linda was paid a small fee for the recording, but received no royalties. One source I read said something about Apartheid being a reason why Linda didn't receive any royalties. In 1952 Alan Lomax, who is a very important music historian (I posted an Alan Lomax compilation of traditional Italian music a month or so ago) and also put Woody Guthrie on the map, introduced Pete Seeger to the song.
Pete Seeger misheard many of the lyrics and so, "uyimbube" which means, "You're a Lion" became, "Wimoweh." which don't mean nothin'. I believe Pete Seeger was the only musician that covered this song that gave Soloman Linda any royalties. The most famous version was done in 1961 when the Tokens rode "Wimoweh" all the way to #1 in the U.S. Sadly, Solomon Linda ended up dying penniless in South Africa in 1962. Since then several people recorded this song, yet Solomon Linda didn't receive a stinking penny. (Other than Seeger) Walt Disney's, "The Lion King" also used the song and made several several million.
Now for the good news. Well kind of good news.
From Wiki,
"In 2000 South African journalist Rian Malan wrote a feature article for Rolling Stone magazine, highlighting Linda's story and estimating that the song had earned U.S. $15 million for its use in The Lion King alone; this prompted the PBS television documentary "The Lion's Trail". In 2001, the song was sampled by the Baha Men for their song, "You All Dat".

In July 2004 the song became the subject of a lawsuit between the family of its writer Solomon Linda and Disney. The suit claimed that Disney owed $1.6 million in royalties for the use of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in the film and stage production of The Lion King. Meanwhile, publisher of The Weavers' "Wimoweh", TRO/Folkways, began to pay $3000 annually to Linda's heirs."

It's a little late, but at least this story is coming to light and the family of Linda is getting some kind of compensation. And if you have read this far, yes I guess I'm kind of a hypocrite. I have complained about an artist not given his due on a blog that freely shares music. It bugs me.

The Wiki entry is pretty good and it has the link to the PBS documentary and other great information about the song.

Track List
1. Tounga - Issa Bagatogo (Mali)
2. Nono Femineh - Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca (Congo/USA)
3. Mama - Mory Kante (Guinea)
4. Leroy - Tony Allen & Tweak (Nigeria)
5. Tashamanaletch - Alemayehu Eshete & Shebele's Band (Ethiopia)
6. Baba Mkwe Pt 1 - Kaki Kilonzo (Kenya)
7. Kutesa Kwa Zamu - X Plastaz
8. Tornados Vs Dynamos - Real Sounds
9. Atide (We R Here) - JJC & 419 Squad
10. Mbube (The Lion) - Mahotella Queens
11. Bula Bula - Mabulu
12. Inkanyezi Nezazi (A Star And The Wiseman) - Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Quick Stats:
Rough Guide African Music for Children
86 MB
192 kbps
http://rapidshare.de/files/33279369/CrapForKids.rar.html
pw = Mbube

Remember that guy?

J-John Somebody?

I've been wanting to post this recording for several days, but I don't really know what to say about it. John Somebody by Scott Johnson was cutting edge experimental music back in the mid-eighties, and it's still pretty interesting today. I'm sure it was an influential recording, but I'm never entirely sure who influenced who and who tried what first. At any rate, this album is a nice snapshot of the early days when musicians started realizing they could stitch together everyday sounds and speech and call it music.

Okay, here's a better description, from the liner notes: "During the late 1970's I collected many tape loops of voice sounds for their similarity to the ostinatos of rock songs, but for the most part they awaited a form until 1980. By that time most of the speech, laughter, and crying themes existed with sketches of their instrumental accompaniment....Technically, I began each section by analyzing the found vocal phrases for approximate pitch and rhythmic content, and then shaped them by editing to bring out the musical regularities which my ear imposed on these spontaneous sounds. These fragments were then looped and layered in synchronization on a..."

No? Well, look the dude recorded a bunch of people talking and laughing and such, and then he tried to play his guitar in a way which both imitated and complimented the "music" he heard in the speech. Look, just listen to it. It's pretty cool.

It's unfortunate that I only have a vinyl recording, though. Due to the restriction of two-sided vinyl, one section had to be divided into two pieces, fading out on side one, fading back in on side two. Sorry. Other than that, I've avoided making cuts that would interupt the flow of the music.

1. John Somebody (Parts 1 and 2)
2. John Somebody (Part 3 - Involuntary Songs) (Beginning)
3. John Somebody (Part 3 - Involuntary Songs) (Conclusion) & Reprise
4. No Memory

http://rapidshare.de/files/32920664/SJJS.rar.html
pw = JohnSomeCrap