New! Brotzmann/Yagi/Nilssen-Love! Elliott Sharp/Orchestra Carbon! Tammen Third Eye Orchestra! Andy Haas! Baptista Supergenerous! Heikki Sarmanto! Supersister!..




**************


Just in case you think we were not impartial about our own releases [oh, K], here's an independent voice - Steve from Cuneiform - who certainly knows a good album when he hears one!

RAOUL BJORKENHEIM/WILLIAM PARKER/HAMID DRAKE-DMG@The Stone, Volume 2 (DMG/ARC 722; USA)
"Guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim is one of the most distinctive guitar voices to be heard today. He is often recognizable from the first note, for his note choice, his tone and his incredible pitch-bending. The guy is simply a monster! Pairing him with William Parker and Hamid Drake was an inspired pick. This is modern, electric, free-jazz music as well as guitaring at its best and it swings in a way that the equally excellent although much more 'thorny' Scorch Trio doesn't. This album, in addition to being a good listen over-all, is possibly the best showcase for Raoul's guitaring I can think of; he just slays from beginning to end. Recommended, especially to guitar-freaks who haven't heard Raoul's distinctive voice on the fretboard." - Steve Feigenbaum, Cuneiform
CD $14

CURLEW - Curlew (First Album) + Live at CBGB's 1980 [2 CD set] (DMG/ARC 704; USA)
"Yeah, baby! I've waited a very, very long time for this! During the 1980s, a very exciting time in music in NYC, there was no better band than Curlew, a fantastically tight, funky and fun outfit. This is their very first album, recorded in early 1980 and issued for the first time on CD (and taken from the original master tapes). Two songs from the album were recorded live at CBGB's on February 6, 1980 and the rest of the concert appears on disc one as bonus tracks. The band is George Cartwright-saxes, Tom Cora-cello, Nicky Skopelitis-guitar, Bill Laswell-bass and Bill Bacon-drums.
Then when you get to the second disc, it's an entire, full length, previously unreleased concert from CBGB's from October 1, 1980, featuring the same band as disc one with the change of Denardo Coleman being the drummer! This release shows how early George and company were doing their original take on the 'electric-harmolodic-jazz-rock-punk-proto-downtown-sound' thing. Highly, highly recommended." - Steve Feigenbaum, Cuneiform
[Order NOW! The PRICE GOES UP TO $22 on this ltd edition double CD on August 1st, 2008!] 2 CD set for $20



PETER BROTZMANN/YAGI MICHIYO/PAAL NILSSEN LOVE - Head On (Idiolect 02; Japan) Featuring Peter Brotzmann on alto & tenor saxes, Michiyo Yagi on 21-string & 17-string kotos and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums & percusssion. Recorded live in Germany in September of 2007, mixed & mastered by Jim O'Rourke. This consists of three long (15+ minute) pieces and each explores the wild yet focused world of strong improv from three master musicians from much different backgrounds. On "Red Kites," Michiyo spins a dense web of harp-like swirls on her koto while Brotzmann blasts powerfully on top and Paal weaves his own web of percussion below. I dig the way the piece winds down into a cautious duo for koto and soft percussion with Peter finally reintering to play some haunting sax, eventually building back up to a more turbulent conclusion. For the title track, the tenor sax & drums start things off at an exciting pace before Yagi starts playing her koto with a bow, stirring up the pot until it starts to boil. There is an intense section midway with an incredible koto and cymbal duo. Later Brotzmann comes back in squealing on his tenor, the trio becomming even more amazing. This piece ends with a strong solo tenor offering that sounds just right like a gospel prayer. Finally, the trio brings things to a close with "The Man in the Raincoat," starting with just the drums and again building first with Yagi's magical, harp-like koto playing. Yagi strums with one hand and plucks with the other creating a couple of layers of melodies. When Brotzmann finally re-enters, the trio comes together in a splendid way as one strong force and erupting to an incredible cosmic conclusion. - BLG
CD $20


A New E# limited edition rarity!

ELLIOTT SHARP/ORCHESTRA CARBON - Serrate [Ltd Ed] (Zoar ZPO-05; USA) [Ltd ed of 200] [Ltd ed of 200] This is a boardtape - not pristine but sounds very powerful - arguably the most powerful version of Carbon (the Tocsin/Amusia/Interference band) augmented with cool guests London, Roseman, Kitzis, & M Parkins. Recorded live at the Knitting Factory, April 17, 199 Performed by: Zeena Parkins - electric harp, sampler; David Weinstein - sampler; Marc Sloan - bass; Gregor Kitzis - violin; Maggie Parkins - cello; Frank London - trumpet; Josh Roseman - trombone; Joe Trump - drums; E# - doubleneck guitarbass.
This is an incredible and challenging work: dark, eerie and filled with layers of bent layers of strings, horns, electric guitar/bass, samples and drums. This piece builds, twists and adds layers of lines as it evolves. After a noise eruption in an earlier part of this piece, the pieces becomes more refined and melodic at times. Near the end of the first piece, thet break into a martial drum beat with focused layers of noise on top. Wow! The second piece opens with some focused feedback and then adds layers of odd drones from the strings and horns. Elliott creates his own alien world with this music, it takes some work to figure out exactly what is going on with some of the unique sounds he utilizes. Although some of the sounds are closer to noise, this performance is very tight and intricately structured. What I dig is the way certain instruments (the strings, trumpet, el. harp) leap out of the mix and pull off short bursts or solos, emerging from the sludge and then submerging back inside. On "Part 3," the strings and horn play their parts ever so tightly while the rhythm team punctuates with an intense force. Certainly if this piece were better recoded it would be even more awesome. Either way it is quite powerful and a bit overwhelming at times. It is outstanding, nonetheless and limited to 200 copies only. - BLG
CD $20

Last copies from E# of..

ELLIOTT SHARP - Cryptid Fragments & Other Electroacoustic Music 1991-1996 [Ltd Ed] (Zoar ZPO-04; USA) This fourth volume in the Portal Series presents compositions realized between 1991 and 1996 using the computer and making use of a variety of strategies for sonic manipulation.
Elliott Sharp pioneered the realtime use of the computer in improvising performance with his Virtual Stance project in 1986 using the Atari ST. Switching to a Macintosh computer in 1991, he began creating pieces existing solely for the recorded medium. "Cryptid Fragments", long out-of-print, was issued by the Extreme label from Australia in 1994 and used as source material an extensive table of gestures performed by cellist Maggie Parkins and violinist Sara Parkins and represents over 150 hours of editing and processing work, using approaches similar to the "musique concrete" of the 50's and 60's . Similarly, "Nanobia" uses a set of soprano sax sounds and electric and acoustic guitars are the starting point for "Slide", "Gonone", "Path Of Ice", and "GrTtRg". The version of "ShapeShifters" presented here is an alternate mix from the 1991 session performed by the Soldier String Quartet. "Index Of Metals" uses a hacked Speak n Spell and "InSERGEncy", also long unavailable, first appeared on the Silent Records compilation "50 Years Of Sunshine" released to honor the anniversary of the discovery of LSD and uses the voice of chemist Dr. Albert Hoffmann from a speech he gave on his research.
CD $20

ELLIOTT SHARP - The Dispersion of Seeds [Ltd Ed] (Zoar ZPO-03; USA) "Third in this series of signed and numbered limited editions is "The Dispersion Of Seeds", a work for string quartet by Elliott Sharp performed by the Sirius String Quartet (Meg Okura, Gregor Huebner - violins, Ron Lawrence - viola, David Eggar - cello). Composed in March 2003, "The Dispersion Of Seeds" takes its title from the recently-discovered natural history work by Henry David Thoreau dealing with the mechanism of reforestation and the propagation of plant tree species, a ripe metaphor for the possibility of positive memes thriving and spreading in a time of crass stupidity, fear and militarism. In this recording, the 16-minute score as performed by the quartet is first presented in an acoustic version and then in two versions each representing different software processing strategies. The three versions may be listened to separately or serially as a longer piece."
"This is the type of signature sound that sets Elliott Sharp apart from many of the more restrained composers who often get too much credit by not pushing things too far and playing it safe. Way out there with composers like Xenakis for some of scariest sounds imaginable." - BLG
CD $20

ELLIOTT SHARP - What Sebastian Dreamt [sndtck; Ltd Ed] (Zoar ZPO-02; USA) This is music composed by E# for the film "What Sebastian Dreamt," directed and written by Rodrigo Rey-Rosa, a protege of the writer Paul Bowles. Filmed in the endangered rainforests of Guatemala, "What Sebastian Dreamt" premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and is the story of a young Spanish writer who inherits a home in the Guatemalan jungle, only to become wrapped up in a land war, touchy local politics and murder. This is the second disc of Sharp's new Portal Series. The Portal Series presents some of Elliott Sharp's most personal and unique projects, signed and numbered in a limited edition of only 200 and packaged in custom die-cut sleeves.
CD $20

ELLIOTT SHARP - Quadrature [Ltd Ed] (Zoar ZPO-01; USA) This is a collection of pieces for solo electro-acoustic guitar and the follow-up to Mr. Sharp's highly-lauded acoustic guitar-CD 'The Velocity Of Hue' on the UK's Emanem label. The compositions on 'Quadrature' are performed on the modified Godin Duet Multiac guitar, the Turner Renaissance baritone guitar and the Godin with a Powerbook G4 running Max/MSP. "Quadrature" continues to advance Sharp's vision of new acoustic guitar music manifested with his unique and virtuosic approach. The Portal Series presents some of Elliott Sharp's most personal and unique projects, signed and numbered in a limited edition of only 200 and packaged in custom die-cut sleeves.
CD $20



HANS TAMMEN THIRD EYE ORCHESTRA With BRIGGAN KRAUSS/MARTY EHRLICH/MARK FELDMAN et al - Third Eye Orchestra: Live At Roulette (Innova 225; USA) In 2006 thirteen of the most virtuosic New York instrumentalists to ever elude labels or boundaries came together at Roulette for an evening length performance to perform Hans Tammen's THIRD EYE ORCHESTRA. Not your usual 'orchestra', this musical vision takes the form of structured spontaneity cued live by the composer. In this concept, composer Hans Tammen works with a score that is rearranged every time the piece is performed. Given the multiple results which issue from a single "composition" conducted (and so, created) twice through by Tammen on the same night, this album's two versions, "Antecedent" and "Consequent" demonstrate how compositional and interpretive processes can work together to everyone's benefit. You don't even need to know the idea behind it in order to enjoy the astonishing array of emotional leaps. Recipe: Take the single point of view of a composer-conductor, add in the multiple perspectives of a baker's dozen top-flight instrumental improvisers, and come up with sound that can boast both enough rigor of form and flights of fancy to satisfy all involved.
Mari Kimura (vio); Mark Feldman (vio); Stephanie Griffin (vla); Tomas Ulrich (cel); Briggan Krauss (as, bari); Marty Ehrlich (bcl, as, fl); Robert Dick (fl, cbfl); Detlef Landeck (tb); Dafna Naphtali (voice, live sound processing); Ursel Schlicht (p/kb); Denman Maroney (p/kb); Stomu Takeishi (b); Satoshi Takeishi (perc); Hans Tammen - concept, realtime arrangement
CD $14

And copies back in stock of

JOEL HARRISON With DAVE BINNEY/RALPH ALESSI/LINDSEY HORNER/DAN WEISS/TODD REYNOLDS et al - The Wheel: A Five Movement Suite For Double Quartet And Guitar (innova 220; USA) The Wheel, a five movement suite for double quartet and guitar, is something round 'The Wheel' might just be his best effort yet, it is CERTAINY one of this year's best discs!." - BLG
CD $14


ANDY HAAS - The Ruins Of America (Resonant 05; USA) All tracks recorded live in studios - no overdubs! Featuring Andy Haas (from local faves Radio I-Ching) on alto & soprano sax, piri, fife, live electronics & prepared loops. The cover of this timely disc has a skeleton sitting on top of a large globe with an hourglass between his feet, a small crown on his head and a look of stern contemplation on his face. Andy wrote or arranged the traditional songs from various times and cultures. The title track opens and closes this disc with a couple of variations of that sad piece. "The Ruins of America, part 1" features a twisted yet poignant version of "America, the Beautiful" with layers of strange electronic loops woven around the distant melody. "O Darkness" is a traditional song which features Andy's alto sax slowly twisting the melody into ghostlike clouds. Andy plays layers of fifes (an ancient flute-like instrument often used in the military) on "Ghurabaa," another traditional tune with a lovely melody that is instantly memorable and most haunting. "What Kind of American Are You?" features some slightly twisted & occasionally sped up soprano sax bent into odd layers. Andy's own "A Torch in the Dark Night" seems like an appropriate title since Andy's spiraling soprano sax feels like a "torch" in the middle of a dense blanket of looped sax sounds. I dig the way Andy will take an old Broadway showtune like "Let's Face the Music and Dance" and twist it into something new by adding strange looped segments to the occasionally recognizable melody. Andy does a fine job of taking both bending his notes on sax or fife and seasoning the twisted melodies a variety of strange loops. The four different versions of "The Ruins of America" each twist the melody of "America the Beautiful" further and further out. On the flipside of the disc cover is a bunch of skeletons dancing in a graveyard while the skeleton in the crown plays a horn. I often have visions of such scenes in my mind as the American dream turns into the American nightmare hanks to the powers that be. The great Radio I-Ching will be playing live in the next few weeks in our area, so go out and have a blast while you still can. You can see a list of their gigs further down in this newsletter. - BLG
CD $12.



Madman Cyro Baptista strikes again!

SUPERGENEROUS [CYRO BAPTISTA/KEVIN BREIT/IAN DE SOUZA] With CASANDRA WILSON - Sao Paulo Slim (Out Of My Mind 02; USA) Here with a brand-new album for 2008 [their first was on Blue Note in 2000], Supergenerous is both eclectic and natural, sublime and extreme. It is the brilliant collision of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Breit with Brazilian multi-rhythmic Cyro Baptista, and what it sounds like when the jungle meets the street. Separate, these two musicians are utterly amazing. Breit paints textures and colors with his guitar and assorted stringed things without relying too much on technology. There is some dressing and looping, but it's typically from his fingers to your ears, that's about it. Breit's tone is picturesque, but not literal --- Baptista's is. Baptista is a mad scientist who incorporates sounds of nature looped into his drum laden physical display. He is positively riveting. Both are constantly in demand by artists like Paul Simon, John Zorn, Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, k.d. lang, Herbie Hancock, Laurie Anderson, and bands who don't want to fill in the cracks, but rather make them bigger and more akin to the humanity that eagerly laps it up.
CD $10

Some copies available of..

SUPERGENEROUS [CYRO BAPTISTA/KEVIN BREIT] - Supergenerous (Blue Note; USA) Cyro Baptisita and Kevin Breit; guest Cassandra Wilson [1 cut] What is Supergenerous? Well, basically it's two guys, Brazilian percussionist Cyro Batista and Canadian guitarist Kevin Breit, making a hell of a lot of great music that defies easy categorization. There's not much to compare them to, but if you enjoy similarly adventurous spirits like Marc Ribot's Los Cubanos Postizos, the Jazz Passengers and the Latin Playboys, you should get a kick out of Supergenerous.
On their debut recording on Blue Note, Batista and Breit mix and match a wide variety of sounds into an enticing and original musical stew. There's a taste of country blues on the opener, The Legend of Johnny Cactus, a bit of Western swing on Sao Paolo Slim, some tropical moods straight out of Buena Vista on A Sigh and Shiver, even journeys into trance on Pelicula and techno on God's Parking Lot. For straight-up jazz fans, the duo offers highly original interpretations of Ellington's Caravan and Take the A Train. And for good measure, and good humor, they throw in a sweet take on the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. In addition to a wealth of talent and exuberance, Batista and Breit bring some very impressive collections of instruments to the proceedings. Batista's percussion arsenal includes various Latin drums, cowbells, metal refrigerator drawers and several self-made instruments. Not to be outdone, Breit plays a variety of electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, even a contraption called a Guitorgan, which was probably used by '60s garage bands. Though it's essentially a duo record - Cassandra Wilson sits in for a down-home take on Home on the Range - it frequently sounds as if a much larger band is at work here. While it will probably get filed in the World Music bin at your local CD shop, Supergenerous is really that rarest of things in contemporary music: something you haven't heard before. - Joel Roberts, AAJ
CD $15



New from Porter!

JOE CHAMBERS - New World (Porter 1505; USA) An excellent recording from legendary drummer Joe Chambers, done in 1976. Lots of amazing drumming, and wonderful Fender Rhodes work by Eddie Martinez. Featuring Joe Chambers on drums, marimba & vibes; Eddie Martinez on electric piano; Herb Bushler on bass; Omar Clay on percussion; Paul Metzke on guitar; Dick Meza on soprano & tenor sax and Ray Mantilla on Latin percussion & congas. Wow! Although I own this rare gem on vinyl, I forgot how amazing it really is. This is truly successful, well written and well-played jazz/fusion record. "New World" opens & has a sly, slamming groove with superb soprano sax, electric piano, el. bass, drums and assorted hand percussion. Under-recognized electric jazz guitar great, Paul Metzke, also played on a few Paul Motian records from around the same time. Whatever happened to this gifted guitarist?!? "Chung Dynasty" has an incredible, Philip Glass/Steve Reich-like arpeggio that is mesmerizing and unlike anything found on a jazz record during the seventies. Wayne Shorter's "Rio" has a lovely, spacey Weather Reportish vibe that feels so nice with some fine laid-back tenor from Dick Meza, another forgotten hero. Herbie Hancock's "Blow Up" from the great soundtreack has a superb Miles-like groove, great funky electric bass and a fine flute and wah-wah guitar led theme. Bringing this classic session to a powerful close is Joe's "Rock Pile" another swell, slow-burning sort of fusion gem with some buring guitar from Mr. Metzke once again. Although this disc is album length (33+ minutes) it is pretty perfect nonetheless. Yet another under-recognized classic from the fine folks at Porter Records. - BLG
CD $15.

HEIKKI SARMANTO With JUHANI ALTONEN/LANCE GUNDERSON et al - Counterbalance (Porter 1506; USA) "Featuring Hekki Sarmanto on Fender Rhodes electric piano, Juhani Aaltonen on flute, Lance Gunderson on guitar, Pekka Sarmanto on bass and Craig Herndon on drums. There are few recordings that are as harmonious and natural sounding as this. Considering that I hadn't heard of the great Heikki Sarmanto a few ago, now we have 3 fine discs on the Porter Records label with more to come. This is an excellent studio recording that came out on EMI in Europe but has never seen the light of day here in the US. Most of the members of this quintet met at the Berklee School of Music in Boston in the late sixites. Both Heikki on pianos and Juhani Aaltonen on flute, tenor & soprano sax have since become legends in their home country of Finland. I reviewed the other two discs by Heikki a few weeks ago and was glad to another one with most of the same personnel as the live disc, 'A Boston Date'.
This studio date is well recorded and well planned and sounds wonderful to me. Juhani, who has played only sax on the other half dozen discs that I've reviewed, plays only flute on this disc. "Azure Skies" opens with some superb acoustic guitar, flute and electric piano playing this haunting, laidbback melody. It reminds me of the mellower side of early King Crimson and was composed by their guitarist, Lance Gunderson. The interplay between all five members is superb and it sounds effortless. What I find most amazing about this is that all of the tunes have thoughtful, memorable melodies, yet the playing is always quietly engaging and ultra-creative on a more subtle level. On "Jai Guru Dev," it sounds as if the quintet is about to fly away into freer terrain, yet they consistently connected on many levels. The melody of the title track is begins safely with an exquisite melody and theh takes off for the stratosphere with some inspired, quick-spinning electric piano, crafty acoustic then electric guitar, outstanding flute and an immensely tight, soaring rhythm team. I love the way the guitar, flute and el piano, spin an intricate web together and throughout the entire disc. The title piece also features some great, bluesy, solo el. piano unaccompanied solos. On "Seagull," the theme is slow, dark and hypnotic, but soon erupts into a furiously quick-paced piece with some outstanding guitar, piano and flute. I dig how this piece keeps switching parts yet still remains fluid throughout. The final piece, "Wolf," like the opening piece features an elegant melody played by the piano and some exquisite acoustic guitar. Quite a perfect ending for a righteously perfect offering that was released in 1971 and is finally getting some of much needed recognition, more than 35 years later." - BLG
CD $15


THE NORDIC TRINITY [JUHANI AALTONEN / KLAUS SUONSAARI / MIKKO LIVANAINEN] - These Rooms (KS Jazz 3312; EEC) Nordic Trinity featuring Juhani Aaltonen on tenor saxophone, Mikko Iivanainen on guitar, and Klaus Suonsaari on drums and percussion is an interactive and freewheeling group of three generations of musicians who explore inventive melodic themes and rhythms found not only in the traditions of contemporary music and improvisation but also in the complexity of modern composition. The bands philosophy is based on paradoxes and extremes being a necessity prerequisite in order to achieve balance. The variety of their work discovers contrasts in the weight of sound. Nordic Trinity digs into a place where people live not only out of necessity, but because they want to be part of a future that invites surprise and welcomes spontaneity.
CD $16



3 New releases from Neos:

LUIGI NONO - Guai Ai Gelidi MostrI [2 CD Set] (Neos 10801/2; Germany) Stereo/5.1 multichannel hybrid CD/SACD release that can be played on any CD player. Features "Guai ai Gelidi Mostri (1983, for 2 altos, flute, clarinet, tuba, viola, violoncello, contrabass and live electronics) and "Quando Stanno Moredno. Diario Polacco n. 2" (for four female voices, bass flute, violoncello and live electronics). "In March 1983, Nono wrote to a close friend, the painter Emilio Vedova, while staying in the Black Forest: 'I felt at the time, and still feel that I have to compose unforeseen and unforeseeable music for the Carnevali. What interests me personally is [...] not only the grey, not only the prefabricated ruptures, but also the beautiful newness that explodes -- tragically -- also violently -- but which aspires towards the most gentle newness.' At that time, Nono was in a preparatory phase at the Freiburg Experimentalstudio of the Heinrich Strobel Foundation where, together with director Hans-Peter Haller, he was able to explore new possibilities of structuring time and space and to study live electronics."
2 CD set for $40

WOLFGANG RIHM//MARKUS BELLHEIM - Piano Pieces [2 CD Set] (Neos 10717/8; Germany) Performed by Markus Bellheim, piano; recorded 2007/2008. "Wolfgang Rihm was born in 1952 in Karlsruhe; between 1968-1976 he studied Composition in Karlsruhe, Cologne and Freiburg with Eugen Werner Velte, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Klaus Huber, Wolfgang Fortner and Humphrey Searle. In Freiburg he also studied musicology with Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht. Various stipendiary grants (Villa Massimo, Rome, e.g.) and awards followed, including the Rolf Liebermann Prize, the Jacob Burckhardt Prize given by the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Foundation, the Bach Prize of the City of Hamburg, the Federal Cross of Merit and the 2003 Ernst von Siemens Foundation Prize. From 1978 onwards, Rihm has taught at the International Summer Courses in Darmstadt, and since 1973 in Karlsruhe, where he was given a professorship in composition in 1985. He is a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and of the Academy of Arts in Berlin and Mannheim. A number of festivals and concert series have been dedicated to the music of Wolfgang Rihm."
2 CD set for $40

ROBERT HP PLATZ//ROLF HIND - Piano Pieces (Neos 10715; Germany) Performed by Rolf Hind, piano; recorded at the Experimentalstudio des SWR. Stereo/5.1 multichannel hybrid CD/SACD release that can be played on any CD player. "The conductor and composer Robert HP Platz, born in Baden-Baden in 1951, studied composition with Wolfgang Fortner and Karlheinz Stockhausen and conducted with Francis Travis. Performances of his works and his conducting activity (more than three hundred world premieres) have taken him throughout Europe and to Japan and the United States. He has worked with, among others, both orchestras of the Sudwestrundfunk, the DSO Berlin and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. For 20 years, Platz headed the Ensemble Koln, which he founded, and worked with composers such as Hosokawa, Huber, Stockhausen and Xenakis. Since 1990, he has directed a composition class at the Conservatorium Maastricht that is connected with a seminar on performance practice for New Music. He is a member of the Bureau du Directeur of the electronic studio of the 'Centre de Recherches et Formation Musicales de Wallonie' (CRFMW) in Liege and is the principal guest conductor of the ensembles Alternance in Paris and Musica d'Insieme in Milan."
CD $20



We just got in the whole catalog for Improvvisatore Involontario, which put out that great Jim Pugliese cD!

FRANCESCO CUSA'S SKRUNCH - L'Arte Della Guerra (Improvvisatore Involontario 06; Italy)
CD $15

FRANCESCO CUSA'S SKRUNCH - Psicopatologia Del Serial Killer (Improvvisatore Involontario 01; Italy)
CD $15

FEET OF MUD [FEDERICO SQUASSABIA/STEFANO SENNI/FRANCESCO CUSA] - Feet Of Mud (Improvvisatore Involontario 09; Italy)
CD $15

NAKED MUSICIANS - A Sicilian Way Of Cooking Mind: Music For 24 Musicians (Improvvisatore Involontario 04; Italy)
CD $15

NURSERY FOUR [MAURO SCHIAVONE/MARKO BONARIUS/FRANCESCO CUSA] - Improvised Music For Imaginary Films (Improvvisatore Involontario 03; Italy)
CD $15

RICCARDO PITTAU CONGREGATION - V IV MMV Death Jazz (Improvvisatore Involontario 07; Italy)
CD $15

JIM PUGLIESE'S PHASE III With MARC RIBOT/KATO HIDEKI/MICHAEL ATTIAS/MARCO CAPPELLI/CHRISTINE BARD - Live @ Issue Project Room NYC (Improvvisatore Involontario 08; Italy) Featuring Marco Cappelli & Marc Ribot on guitars, Michael Attias on alto sax, Kato Hideki on electric bass and Christine Bard & Jim Pugliese on drums & percussion. This is one of the most interesting and riveting discs that I've in a while from a band that sounds ethnic but is just as unique. - BLG
CD $15

PAOLO SORGE & THE JAZZ WAITERS - Slow Food (Improvvisatore Involontario 05; Italy)
CD $15

SWITTERS [GIANNI GEBBIA/VINCENZO VASI/FRANCESCO CUSA] - Current Trends In The Contemporary Italian Music Disaster (Improvvisatore Involontario 11; Italy)
CD $15

SWITTERS [GIANNI GEBBIA/VINCENZO VASI/FRANCESCO CUSA] - The Anabaptist Loop (Improvvisatore Involontario 02; Italy)
CD $15



A great new UK label: Another Timbre!

SOPHIE AGNEL/PHIL MINTON - Tasting (Another Timbre 02; UK)
CD $17

ESTEBAN ALGORA/ALESSANDRA ROMBOLA/INGAR ZACH - ..de las piedras (Another Timbre 09; UK) Six very varied pieces by a fine trio of Spanish-based musicians, beautifully recorded in the stone-built Eremita de la Anunciada in Uruena. A music that appears to be located halfway between chamber-improv and contemporary classical music, and which is like no other. esteban algora - accordion; alessandra rombola - flutes & tiles; ingar zach - percussion. recorded in Uruena, Spain, august 2007
CD $17

CLIVE BELL/BECHIR SAADE - An Account Of My Hut: Imporvisations For Shakuhachi And Ney (Another Timbre 08; UK) clive bell - shakuhachi; bechir saade - ney. Recorded london, june & october 2007
CD $17

FREDERIC BLONDY/THOMAS LEHN - Obdo (Another Timbre 07; UK) frederic blondy - piano; thomas lehn - analogue synthesiser. Recorded Bourogne, Montreuil & Perigueux, 2003 - 2006
CD $17

CONTEST OF PLEASURES [JOHN BUTCHER/XAVIER CHARLES/AXEL DORNER] - Tempestuous (Another Timbre 01; UK)
CD $17

ANGHARAD DAVIES/TISHA MUKARJI - Endspace (Another Timbre 05; UK) Angharad Davies [sister of Rhodri] on violin with 'inside piano' player Mukarji from India by way of Copenhagen, a sister in spirit of Sophie Agnel, or Andrea Neumann, with whom she has a duo.
CD $17

HUGH DAVIES - Performances 1969 - 1977 [Ltd Ed CD-R] (Another Timbre R1; UK) To accompany the release of the 'for hugh davies' cd, an archive cd-r featuring all of Hugh Davies' recordings from 1969-1977 that were used in the production of the cd. Seventy-nine minutes of historic music, previously unissued and featuring five solos by Hugh plus a duet with Richard Orton for two 'shozygs" - one of the many simple but extraordinary instruments that Hugh invented. Unmissable.
CD $17

HUGH DAVIES//ADAM BOHMAN/LEE PATERSON/MARK WASTELL - For Hugh Davies (Another Timbre 11; UK) A unique celebration of the work of Hugh Davies, one of the great pioneers of improvised music who died three years ago. Solo recordings of Hugh from three decades ago are played back to a trio of musicians whose work has been influenced by Hugh, and they improvise around his music to create a living homage to his memory. Beautiful, strange and challenging music.
hugh davies - invented instruments + adam bohman - prepared balalaika & amplified objects; lee patterson - amplfied objects; mark wastell - cello. Recorded in north london, january 2008
CD $17

RHODRI DAVIES/MATT DAVIS/SAMANTHA REBELLO/BECHIR SAADE - Hum (Another Timbre 04; UK)
CD $17

FRANK DENYER//YOSHIKAZU IWAMOTO - Music For Shakuhachi (Another Timbre 03; UK) Denyer compositions played by Iwamoto
CD $20

MAX EASTLEY/GRAHAM HALLIWELL/EVAN PARKER/MARK WASTELL - A Life Saved By A Spider And Two Doves (Another Timbre 06; UK) max eastley - arc; graham halliwell - electronics; evan parker - soprano saxophone; mark wastell - metal percussion & harmonium. Recorded london, september 2007
CD $17



CARLOS GIFFONI - Zamuro (Important 210; USA) LP only; Limited edition of 300 copies in a heavy stock screen-printed jacket. "A Zamuro is a dark South American vulture of great size. Zamuro is also a solo composition piece for portable synth and analog filter. Side A on this LP is a live realization of this piece recorded at the Compound in San Francisco in 2006 (mastered by Lasse Marhaug). Carlos composed and performed this piece live on several tours in the U.S./Europe/Japan all throughout 2006 and 2007, if you saw him live in those two years, this is the piece he performed. This was the most complete version of it that made it to tape. Side B is a studio piece recorded live on a much larger modular synth, based around the same theme, but with structural and tonal variations not in the original composition. This is pure psychedelic electronic music. Cover illustration by Megan Ellis. Screenprinted at Monoroid."
LP $22



New on PSF [Psychedelic Speed Freaks]:

AURAL FIT - Aural Fit II (PSF 179; Japan) "The reincarnation of the in-the-red psych aesthetics of early High Rise. One of the biggest underground psych/noise rock discoveries was Tokyo-based Aural Fit. A heavy, bludgeoning cudgel of a band, all distorted grime and redlined aggression, their 2004 self-released first album burst over the scene like a big bag of heavy spanners. They followed up with a track on Tokyo Flashback 5, but then line-up changes seemed to sideline their juddering, thundering rock juggernaut. Leader Mondo Bohachi has gone about reassembling the group from the ground up, and these are the first recorded results. If anything, it's even scarier, noisier and more rock than last time. 'Loud' and 'psychedelic' are still the watchwords, needles in the red all the way, and all the Stooges, Blue Cheer, TG, etc., references you might require are present and correct. Loud, vicious and dumb -- it doesn't really get much murkier or animal-mind-melding than this. Turn it up. Four tracks, 38 minutes. Mini-LP style card sleeve with obi and insert."
CD $20

TAMIO SHIRAISHI & MICO - Live Duo (PSF 177; Japan) Alto saxophone -- Tamio Shiraishi; Alto saxophone, piano molanica, etc. -- MICO. "A rare live album from one of the major names in the Japanese free noise underground, Tamio Shiraishi. Shiraishi was one of the major movers in the free noise/underground rock/DIY improv Minor scene of the late '70s and early '80s that gave birth to so many of the major names in the Japanese underground. He was a pivotal member of a large number of groups associated with the scene, including Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha. But Shiraishi has rarely recorded and thus enjoys far less name recognition outside of Japan. He has lived in New York City for the past decade or so, collaborating with the likes of Sean Meehan and the No-Neck Blues Band. This compilation of live recordings captures Shiraishi live in Europe, the U.S. and Japan between 2001 and 2007, together with NNCK member, MICO. Forceful, intense, chaotic improvisations for saxophone, vocals, percussion, piano etc. Shiraishi's trademark ultra high-pitched dog-whistle sax and guttural vocals are showcased to full and outstanding effect."
CD $20

SHIZUKA - Live/Traditional Aesthetics (PSF 178; Japan) "Shizuka were THE great lost-in-action group of the Tokyo underground psych scene during the early to mid-'90s. Led by doll-maker Shizuka, and with ex-Fushitsusha alumni Maki Miura and Jun Kosugi on hand, they created some of the most fragile and intense acid-rock of their time, but remained largely undocumented and under appreciated. The gig documented on this CD, recorded at Bears in Osaka in 1995, was long whispered of amongst the cognoscenti. It catches them at a near-divinely inspired peak of fucked-up narcotic bliss. Shizuka's uncanny vocals and tremulous sense of timing washing like brown sugar over fluid nebulae of guitar and drum nirvana, peaking and churning in perfect, weightless filigrees of light, cosmic cold and invisible motion. Miura's guitar playing is just jaw-dropping. Booklet includes lyrics in Japanese and English."
CD $20

KAZUKI TOMOKAWA - Blue Water, Red Water (PSF 8028; Japan) "Latest album of devastating emotional transcendence from the Japanese underground's most lyrical singer-songwriter. Full of classic, richly textured songs of love, loss and stunned acquiescence to the wonders of the world. Alongside Tomokawa's regular collaborators, Toshiaki Ishizuka and Masato Nagahata, the expanded group also includes Compostela-veteran Takero Sekijima on tuba and recorder, and improv-legend Hiromichi Sakamoto on cello. Includes Tomokawa's ending theme song for director Rokuro Mochizuki's Johnen - Jo no Ai, a re-telling of the Abe Sada story. Booklet includes lyrics in Japanese and English."
CD $20

MASAYOSHI URABE - Flag of Midsummer (PSF 174; Japan) "Alto saxophone, harmonica, chains, metal, accordion, bells, toy flute -- Masayoshi Urabe. Metal junk, cello, etc. -- Kiyoharu Kuwayama (track 2 only). A new solo album by Masayoshi Urabe is always a cause for rejoicing. This is his first since the frankly frightening Ware Wai Seidei No Kyojyo Zo on PSF in 2003. Urabe rarely plays live now, but this live album catches him in action in a converted saki brewery on the shores of Lake Biwa, near Kyoto. The damp heat of midsummer in this part of Japan seems to have worked its magic on Urabe, and this is an altogether gentler performance than normal. Over one long solo track, he bends his breath and body to the air in his saxophone, his tones blending with the sound of the insects outside the venue. A shorter second track captures him in a rare outing on accordion, toy flute and harmonica together with Kiyoharu Kuwayama. Another radical, effortlessly convincing album from the master of contemporary rock n' roll breathing."
CD $20


KASAI ALLSTARS - Congotronics 3: In The Seventh Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic (Crammed Craw 44/Ryko; USA) Using a spectacular mixture of acoustic instruments, electric guitars, distortion-laden thumb pianos and soulful vocals, Kasai Allstars include musicians all based in Kinshasa, DR Congo, but originating from five different ethnic groups, each with their own language and musical tradition. Kasai Allstars' music is powerful and sophisticated, driving and raw. It blends acoustic instruments with electric guitars, distortion-laden thumb pianos (with DIY amplification) and soulful vocals. Compared to Konono No1 (whose minimal and effective sound has been massively adopted by the international electronica, world music and alternative rock scenes), Kasai Allstars use a broader array of instruments & textures, and wilder, more complex polyrhythms.. They often sound like some kind of retro-futurist primeval rock band. They draw their songs from festive and ritual music played in the bush before being banned by the Europeans, who considered the highly erotic dances and the pagan trance ceremonies as "satanic". Kasai Allstars is a collective revolving around 25 musicians from five bands, all from the Kasai region, but originating from five different ethnic groups: the Luba, the Songye, the Lulua, the Tetela and the Luntu. Some of these groups have endured conflicting relationships over the centuries, they each have their own culture, their own language and their own musical traditions, which were always thought to be incompatible until these musicians decided to pool their resources and form a "superband".
Part of the special appeal of Kasai Allstars' music comes from the diversity and charisma of the band's vocalists - no less than six of them perform lead vocals on the album - and instrumentalists. While the cultural aspect of their work is important to them, the members of the Kasai Allstars collective are first and foremost musicians and performers, who decided to try and throw their respective traditions, styles, languages and instruments into a common musical sandbox. This process (which means that they often have to invent new parts, and adapt certain musical patterns for instruments that normally don't play them), as well as the band's interaction with modern amplification and production techniques (through their collaboration with the producer of the album, Vincent Kenis), all give an exciting and very creative angle to the project.
CD $15


JIM HALL TRIO With STEVE LaSPINA/JOEY BARON + TOM HARRELL - These Rooms (Denon 2297; USA) This 1988 studio date is one of the overlooked treasures in the considerable discography of Jim Hall, possibly due to the label's low-key promotion and less than eye-catching cover art. It is easy why to understand why artists like Art Farmer and Paul Desmond omitted a pianist after hearing a release such as this one, because it would only clutter Hall's soft yet complete accompaniment. Joined by Tom Harrell (heard mostly on fluegelhorn), bassist Steve LaSpina, and drummer Joey Baron, this CD is a delight from start to finish. The interaction of the musicians in the opener, a lively, waltzing "With a Song in My Heart," makes it sound like they have been a working unit for years. The well-conceived arrangement of "Where or When," which Hall dedicated to Basie guitarist Freddie Green (who died the year prior to the sessions), proves to be the most captivating track, with its understated yet consummately swinging air. Hall contributed the tense "Cross Court," a smoking post-bop vehicle, a pulsing calypso written originally for his 1985 Montreux concert with Michel Petrucciani and Wayne Shorter, as well as the haunting ballad "These Rooms," which opens with Harrell's melancholy unaccompanied trumpet solo, and has an abstract solo by the leader. "Something Tells Me" is a lovely bittersweet ballad by Jane Hall (Jim's wife, a talented composer whose work he has often recorded), featuring Hall and Harrell. Hall's unaccompanied take of Duke Ellington's "All Too Soon" makes one wonder why he has never recorded a entire CD of guitar solos. This out of print CD is destined to become a collectible. - Ken Dryden, AMG
CD $16

ARCHIE SHEPP & DOLLAR BRAND [ABDULLAH IBRAHIM] - Duet (Denon 8561; USA) A somewhat surprising pairing at the time, the former firebrand of the tenor sax and the wonderful South African pianist found a pleasant and relaxed meeting point. By 1978, Shepp had largely abandoned the ferocious attack that gained him renown in the '60s, settling on a rich, Ben Webster-ish tone and playing a repertoire consisting of modern standards and bluesy originals. Two such pieces, the lovely Dave Burrell/Marion Brown composition "Fortunato" and Mal Waldron's "Left Alone," are highlights of this session, Shepp's burnished tone as soft as an old shoe. Ibrahim is a fairly deferential partner here, generally preferring to play the role of accompanist, although certainly one sprinkling his work with plenty of ideas for Shepp to work off. But the prevailing sense of relaxation begins to pall after a while and one wishes for a bit more of the old rough and tumble that these two were surely capable of. Still, for those who enjoyed Shepp's mid-'70s dates for Arista/Freedom and Ibrahim's more subdued group efforts of the late '70s and early '80s, there's much good listening here. - Brian Olewnick, AMG
CD $16



JAN SCHELHAAS - Dark Ships (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2063; UK) "Esoteric Recordings are pleased to release the brand new studio album by Jan Schelhaas, whose playing and writing has graced both Caravan and Camel over the years. Noted for his compositions 'Captured' and 'Hymn to Her' for Camel, Schelhaas at last records an album of his own music. Featuring guest appearances from Doug Boyle and Jimmy Hastings, Dark Ships follows in the tradition of the Canterbury sound, albeit with more ambient influences. Jan has delivered a well crafted album which is certain to appeal to fans of Caravan, Camel and followers of the so-called Canterbury sound."
CD $20

SUPERSISTER - Present from Nancy (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2056; UK) "First ever UK CD release for this classic album from the masters of Dutch prog rock -- remastered from the original tapes, with four bonus tracks from A & B-side singles. Featured in the soundtrack of the film Control about Joy Division, Supersister were one of the most original groups to emerge in Holland in the late 1960s. Inspired by the work of Soft Machine and Caravan, the group recorded a quartet of master works. In 1971 they signed to John Peel's Dandelion label and remained a favorite of his. Eccentric, accomplished and unique, Supersister's albums are a joy to any fan of original music. Esoteric Recordings are pleased to reissue their classic debut album with additional bonus tracks comprising all sides of their first two singles and fully restored artwork. Open your ears to Supersister." Originally released in the Netherlands on Polydor in 1970.
CD $20

SUPERSISTER - To The Highest Bidder (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2057; UK) "First ever UK CD release for this classic album from the masters of Dutch prog rock -- remastered from the original tapes, with four bonus tracks. Recently featured in the soundtrack of the film Control about Joy Division, Supersister were one of the most original groups to emerge in Holland in the late 1960s. Inspired by the work of Soft Machine and Caravan, the group recorded a quartet of master works. In 1971 they signed to John Peel's Dandelion label and remained a favorite of his. Eccentric, accomplished and unique, Supersister's albums are a joy to any fan of original music. Esoteric Recordings are pleased to reissue their classic second album with additional bonus tracks comprising single cuts from 1971 and fully restored artwork. Open your ears to Supersister." Originally released in the Netherlands on Polydor in 1971. Including a lavish booklet with full restored artwork, new essay and many photographs.
CD $20

SUPERSISTER - Iskander (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2058; UK) "First-ever UK CD release for this classic album from the masters of Dutch prog rock -- remastered from the original tapes. Three bonus tracks previously unreleased on CD. Recently featured in the soundtrack of the film Control about Joy Division, Supersister were one of the most original groups to emerge in Holland in the late 1960s. Inspired by the work of Soft Machine and Caravan, the group recorded a quartet of master works. This, their final studio offering was recorded in England and is akin to later Soft Machine in approach, although still original in construction. Eccentric, accomplished and unique, Supersister's albums are a joy to any fan of original music. Esoteric Recordings are pleased to reissue their classic second album with additional bonus tracks comprising single cuts from 1971 and fully restored artwork. Open your ears to Supersister." Originally released in the Netherlands on Polydor in 1973. Includes a lavish booklet with fully restored artwork, new essay and many photographs
CD $20

SUPERSISTER - Pudding en Gisteren (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2059; UK) "First ever UK CD release for this classic album from the masters of Dutch prog rock -- remastered from the original tapes, with two bonus tracks. Recently featured in the soundtrack of the film Control about Joy Division, Supersister were one of the most original groups to emerge in Holland in the late 1960s. Inspired by the work of Soft Machine and Caravan, the group recorded a quartet of master works. In 1971 they signed to John Peel's Dandelion label and remained a favorite of his. Eccentric, accomplished and unique, Supersister's albums are a joy to any fan of original music. Esoteric Recordings are pleased to reissue their classic second album with additional bonus tracks comprising single cuts from 1972 and one live version, as well as fully restored artwork. Open your ears to Supersister." Originally released in the Netherlands on Polydor in 1972. Includes a lavish booklet with full restored artwork, new essay and many photographs
CD $20

LOVE SCULPTURE [DAVE EDMUNDS et al] - Blues Helping (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2015; UK) Love sculpture's classic first album - now Re-Mastered from the original tapes & expanded to include their first two singles. "Dave Edmunds' importance in the history of Welsh rock music cannot be understated. In the '70s, he became an icon recording for Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label and working with George Harrison. Edmunds' recording career began with the trio Love Sculpture, revealing Edmunds to be a guitar hero of extreme prowess. After a first single released under the name The Human Beans, the band became Love Sculpture and recorded Blues Helping, released in 1968, a classic album of blues rock for EMI's Parlophone label. Featuring such stunning tracks as 'Summertime' and the title track, the album launched the band on both sides of the Atlantic. Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the reissuing of both Love Sculpture albums, including all the singles recorded for EMI Records in the late '60s." New remastered release for this classic album, including 4 bonus tracks and booklet with new essay and previously-unseen photographs.
CD $20

LOVE SCULPTURE [DAVE EDMUNDS et al] - Forms And Feelings (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2016; UK) Love sculpture's classic psychedelic album - now re-mastered from the original tapes & expanded to include original singles & "Mars", removed from the UK edition of the original album in 1969. Dave Edmunds' importance in the history of welsh rock music cannot be understated. In the 70's he became an icon recording for Led Zeppelin's swan song label and working with George Harrison
Edmunds' recording career began with the trio love sculpture, revealing Edmunds to be a guitar hero of extreme prowess. After a first single released under the name the human beans the band became love sculpture and recorded "blues helping", a classic album of blues-rock for Emi's Parlophone label. In 1969 the band veered to a more underground direction to record their classic top ten hit 'Sabre Dance', championed by DJ John Peel. The ensuing album (engineered by future yes producer Eddie Offord) was equally stunning. includes 6 bonus tracks plus booklet with a new essay and previously-unseen photograph!
CD $20

MAN [DEKE LEONARD et al] - Slow Motion (Cherry Red/Esoteric 2062; UK) "Originally released in 1974, Slow Motion was another classic album in the catalog of Welsh rock legends, Man. Touring extensively to support the record, Man delivered a stunning series of concerts and made a triumphant return to the USA early the following year. As part of Esoteric's reissue program of the Man catalog, we are proud to present the remastered album and with a selection of studio out-takes and four previously unreleased live tracks recorded in California in May 1975. With superbly remastered sound and lavish booklet with notes by Man's Deke Leonard, this is yet another essential release for fans of Man."
CD $20


VINCE MARTIN - If the Jasmine Don't Get You...The Bay Breeze Will (Cherry Red/Rev-Ola 139; UK) "Vince Martin first emerged in the late 1950s as a folk-blues singer around Greenwich Village...of the tendency which kind of avoided the academic approach. A friend of commercial Folk-Pop group The Tarriers, he was the lead singer on their 'Cindy Oh, Cindy' 45, a monster hit and one of the first real big successes to emerge from the Folk Boom. Vince, lending not only a gritty edge of authenticity, but a note of wistful yearning no amount of study can bring, in the early 1960's gravitated toward the intense club nights presented by Black activist and Broadside editor Len Chandler. Starting a celebrated partnership with fellow maverick Fred Neil which stretched over live appearances which influenced a generation, David Crosby, Mama Cass, Richie Havens, you name them...and cutting an acclaimed and now-classic album for Elektra. It was Vince who started the to-ing and fro-ing of the Folk scene players between Greenwich Village and Florida's Coconut Grove, a place he discovered by chance in 1961, later immortalized in a song by Fred Neil covered by everyone. All of this is perfectly captured on Vince Martin's 1969 album, If the Jasmine Don't Get You ... the Bay Breeze Will, one of that decade's overlooked gems, and a record whose title truly says it all, and whose time has come. From the opening cut, 'Snow Shadows,' the sound is an airy blend of folk spirit and rock dynamics. Softly brushed drums push forward behind propulsive flat-picked twin acoustic guitars; Martin's high tenor sings of romantic loss, quivering over the lines 'Stumbling through the snow..../Nothing waitin' for me like I'm leaving behind..../Cities are meant for leaving before I get too black and blue.' As the song builds, the drummer dramatically downshifts, cracking his snare with a full stick. Martin's voice in turns seems to lift off with a thrilling effect, soaring, as he croons, 'Heading south without you like a wild bird flying blind/Someone should have told me I'd never go home.' Produced by infamous A&R man/producer Nickolas Venet at Capitol's studio in Nashville, Tennessee, this record came in of Capitol releases which included Euphoria, Gandalf, and Karen Dalton's self titled album...strange company indeed."
CD $17



THE VELVET UNDERGROUND [LOU REED/JOHN CALE/STERLING MORRISON/MAUREEN TUCKER] & NICO - Velvet Underground & Nico [aka Banana cover] (4 Men with Beards 154; USA) [High Quality Vinyl Repressing!] One would be hard pressed to name a rock album whose influence has been as broad and pervasive as The Velvet Underground and Nico. While it reportedly took over a decade for the album's sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what's most surprising about this album is its diversity. Here, the Velvets dipped their toes into dreamy pop ("Sunday Morning"), tough garage rock ("Waiting for the Man"), stripped-down R&B ("There She Goes Again"), and understated love songs ("I'll Be Your Mirror") when they weren't busy creating sounds without pop precedent. Lou Reed's lyrical exploration of drugs and kinky sex (then risky stuff in film and literature, let alone "teen music") always received the most press attention, but the music Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker played was as radical as the words they accompanied. The bracing discord of "European Son," the troubling beauty of "All Tomorrow's Parties," and the expressive dynamics of "Heroin," all remain as compelling as the day they were recorded. While the significance of Nico's contributions have been debated over the years, she meshes with the band's outlook in that she hardly sounds like a typical rock vocalist, and if Andy Warhol's presence as producer was primarily a matter of signing the checks, his notoriety allowed The Velvet Underground to record their material without compromise, which would have been impossible under most other circumstances. Few rock albums are as important as The Velvet Underground and Nico, and fewer still have lost so little of their power to surprise and intrigue more than 30 years after first hitting the racks. ~ Mark Deming, AMG
LP $18

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND [LOU REED/STERLING MORRISON/MAUREEN TUCKER/DOUG YULE] - The Velvet Underground [aka 3rd album] (4 Men with Beards 156; USA) [High Quality Vinyl Repressing!] Upon first release, The Velvet Underground's self-titled third album must have surprised their fans nearly as much as their first two albums shocked the few mainstream music fans who heard them. After testing the limits of how musically and thematically challenging rock could be on The Velvet Underground and Nico and White Light/White Heat, this 1969 release sounded spare, quiet, and contemplative, as if the previous albums documented some manic speed-fueled party and this was the subdued morning after. (The album's relative calm has often been attributed to the departure of the band's most committed avant-gardist, John Cale, in the fall of 1968; the arrival of new bassist Doug Yule; and the theft of the band's amplifiers shortly before they began recording.) But Lou Reed's lyrical exploration of the demimonde is as keen here as on any album he ever made, while displaying a warmth and compassion he sometimes denied his characters. "Candy Says," "Pale Blue Eyes," and "I'm Set Free" may be more muted in approach than what the band had done in the past, but "What Goes On" and "Beginning to See the Light" made it clear the VU still loved rock & roll, and "The Murder Mystery" (which mixes and matches four separate poetic narratives) is as brave and uncompromising as anything on White Light/White Heat. This album sounds less like The Velvet Underground than any of their studio albums, but it's as personal, honest, and moving as anything Lou Reed ever committed to tape. ~ Mark Deming, AMG
LP $18

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND [LOU REED/JOHN CALE or DOUG YULE/STERLING MORRISON/MAUREEN TUCKER] - VU [Vol 1] (4 Men With Beards 136; USA) Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker, Doug Yule.Recorded between February 12, 1968 and October 1, 1969. Includes liner notes by Kurt Loder and Bill Levenson.VU features tracks recorded mostly between THE VELVET UNDERGROUND and LOADED which were never released until they were rediscovered in the 80's.One of two volumes of previously unreleased Velvets tunes, VU consists of songs that were discovered in the early-'80s when preparations were being made for reissue of the band's first three records. A few of the songs ("I Can't Stand It," "Lisa Says," "Ocean") can be heard elsewhere in different versions, but most had never seen the light of day before in any form. Nine of the ten cuts feature the celebrated 1969 version of the band, with Reed, Tucker, Morrison and Yule, while "Temptation Inside Your Heart" is a Cale-era gem from 1968.The propulsive "Foggy Notion" is somewhat reminiscent of "Some Kinda Love" in its insistent pulse and slightly kinky lyrical bent. "I Can't Stand It" is the band at their most rocking, laying down an unswerving 4/4 beat that sounds destined to outlast even Twinkies and cockroaches. All the tunes on VU provide an illuminating glimpse into the band's musical closet, in which all manner of goodies--aesthetically comparable to their better-known cousins--apparently lurked.
LP $ 18

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND [LOU REED/JOHN CALE or DOUG YULE/STERLING MORRISON/MAUREEN TUCKER] - Another View: VU Vol 2 (4 Men With Beards 137; USA) John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker, Doug Yule.Recorded between December 5, 1967 and September 30, 1969.Sometimes referred to as "VU 2", ANOTHER VIEW is a second collection of previously unreleased Velvet Underground recordings. ANOTHER VIEW works as that one final glimpse at the Velvet Underground-- another insight into the various aspects that made the band great, and another pang of regret that they were never given their due in their time.In the sweltering guitars of the instrumental "Guess I'm Falling In Love" and the edginess of "Hey Mr. Rain," we get the chaotic side of the Velvet Underground. This is the John Cale-era group that conquered sonic landscapes and continues to inspire musicians nearly thirty years later. The Velvets' quieter, pop-oriented side comes out in the delicacy of "Ride Into The Sun" and the upbeat feel of "We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together." These tracks show the band at its more accessible stage, around the recording of the self-titled third album.Gorgeous and bizzare, deranged and dreamy, ANOTHER VIEW is a must for any collector of the Velvet Underground
LP $18


*****************


IF YOU'RE ALREADY SUBSCRIBED TO OUR NEWSLETTER, BUT SOMEHOW YOU'RE NOT RECEIVING THEM IN YOUR INBOX..

Many of your incoming emails are being blocked and you don't know it! Many emails like our newsletter are frequently blocked by aggressive spam filters being used by nearly all email services.

To help avoid this problem and get our newsletter:

Hotmail Users: Place the domain " downtownmusicgallery.com " on your Safe List, so that you can receive our emails. The safe list can be accessed via the "Options" link next to the main menu tabs. Also place the email address dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com in your address book.

AOL: Place the domain " downtownmusicgallery.com " in your Address Book. Also add the email address dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com to your address book.

Yahoo! Mail: If one of our e-newsletters is filtered to your 'bulk' folder, open the message and click on the "this is not Spam" link next to the "From" field. The same goes for any other e-mail you receive that doesn't belong there. Add the address dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com to your address book.

Other email services [Earthlink, GMail et al]: Place the domain " downtownmusicgallery.com " on your email filter's whitelist. You may need to search your email help menu for details on how to do this. Depending on software/version, they may call it a "whitelist," a "good list" or similar name. Adding the address dmg@downtownmusicgallery.com to your address book will help too.