Wednesday 16 December 2009

Track Of The Week #4

Adam And Eve - The Witch
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This is the only picture i could find that is remotely similar to the lp sleeve. Honestly put on some head phones and rock out to this number or play it loud with plenty of bass, or else your not doing this enormous track justice, the most amazing hypnotic vocals and filthy groove. Been trying to find this record for such a long time, even just an mp3 of this song, so happy to find it was comped! Check this out, Fucking fantastic, if anyone is interested in trading or selling their copy of the lp, do get in touch...

Tuesday 15 December 2009

Through The Eyes Of Another

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Tea with Fritz and his Alsation, this came from a private collection i found. This man was quite an affluent nazi judging by the other pictures in the collection, quite a dark collection of photos, nothing serious just dinner parties and over priced Luftwaffe Photos. Something to listen to while checking out the photos
Arzachel - Queen Street Gang

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I fucking adore this picture i found it at the bottom of a suit case in spitalfields i think it came from a similar collection as the one above. If you look closely you can see two men holding pistols to one anothers head and a family portrait or some sort of portrait imposed on the top. Insane.
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Beautiful Explosions, same collection as top one. Wish i knew what it was, but still could be anything, i found really cool reconnaisance photos of destroyed british bombers that cost a bomb a piece.
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And This one really reminded me of the place s.c.u.m recorded their demos in poland, we were walking for hours, really isolated strange looking radio station type place.
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These next few are pictures my dad took before i was born when he was living in prague, i found the whole roll of photographs under my bed when i was clearing out.
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This literally was what it was like looking out of our windows when we were in warsaw. Miles and miles of blocks styled exactly the same, bitterly cold and grey no colour.
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Another tune to listen to in case you'd finished that one, sort of like Scott Walker in a many ways, i love the organ sounds in this and the words kind of relate to the pictures (a bit) who does care for the city?
John Ylvisaker - Who Cares For The CIty

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Last Photo, these pictures really remind me of shots from films like nosferatu or one of ingmar bergmans films
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Clouds Over Earthquake

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Get your head around this.

Wooden Shjips - Clouds Over Earthquake

Friday 11 December 2009

Track of the Week #3

Le Coeur - Bye Bye City
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For a friends Birthday last week a good friend of ours claimed he had found the best french psych track, at the time a lot of us trusted him that he'd found a right blaster but not the best.. Well he may of been right. This record is so addictive and it's definitley up there, i have put a limit of listening to this song once a day so i don't over do it, been humming it all week. Thank you madcap zach for this one.



Also if there is anything you want to know about french psychedelia i would seriously reccomend checking this website out,
45toursderockfrancais.net/ theres no mp3's or anything just good information and loads of great picture sleeves!

Thursday 10 December 2009

The Space Lady aka Suzy Soundz

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The Space Lady, i have no idea where to start with this. This music is incredible, minimal flourishing phased synthesizers underneath the most beautiful delia derbyshire/white noise esque vocal. Her story and my personal favourite Major Tom are on her myspace have a look here...

http://www.myspace.com/suzysoundz

i found out about the space lady when i was looking for a cover version i had of Shakin' all over someone had put on a compilation for me, it turned out to be Drinking Electricity but while i was looking, the unbelievable space lady turned up! with a cover of the same song! I was taken aback, she looked fantastic, her story was so brilliant and i loved how heavenly and simple the sounds she was creating made shakin all over, a song known to be a hell raising rock n roll sleazer sound like an innocent astral fairytale of one space ladys untainted sexual exploits and her casio. With all over versions i know myself of this song, there has been no other version like it, they're all pent up explosions of excitement which johnny kidds bursts of guitar are nothing more than a show of a boundless adolescent's release of joy, sex and love through that bone shattering key hook we all know so well. But this is played softly, quietly and delicately, so the whole content and idea of the song is turned on it's arse. Shakin' all over is one of those songs like when you see those videos of the beatles or the stones playing in the early sixties and you can see the screaming audiences unable to control themselves, those girls with the uncontrollable 'shakes' and screams of excitement, that electrifying uncontrollable feeling created by these kinds of songs, like satisfaction by the stones, that do these marvellous things to a person, those shakes and shivers that one mustn't talk about at the dinner table, this is what this song is supposed to make you feel like, It's loud, it's raw and animalistic but our Space Lady delivers something so pure and beautifully different that it sort of makes the original and all other versions that have come before completely obsolete, You just have to listen to those beautiful minimal electronics and punching zuckerzeit drum machines to know johnny kidd wishes he could of traded his strat for a casio back in 1960! enough chit chat and wallop, here's to the almighty space lady!

Koroshitai Kimochi Part 2

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Up Yours Adam! Ha

Friday 4 December 2009

Track of the Week #2

Nico - All That Is My Own

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The first time i went on stage i played in a band called Le Volume Courbe, i played a few gigs as extra percussion, melodica and a strange growling Harmonium. I used to go down and rehearse at charlottes place in hampstead after school and my first gig was at the social for a sonic cathedral nico tribute night. When i first heard nico, charlotte had burned me a copy of Marble index and a copy of chelsea girls and a c.d of what we'd be doing which was a track called Le Petit Chevalier off the desertshore album and Réve Réveiller an outtake off of Marble Index. I remember chelsea girls was the album i really spent time listening to and loving, i neglected marble index and never went looking for any other of Nico's solo stuff, so when i found the c.d of the live recording at the social in 2005 i wanted to go and hunt down the albums of the songs we had played that night and i got my hands on desert shore and flicked through the tracks and decided to land on this one. I couldn't actually believe it. Really. It has this hypnotic beauty, every note she wails flows against the coldest winds of sweeping venus in furs string accompaniment, with radio like vocal treatments every so often with a morse code-esque trumpet. You feel like this wall of sound is closing in on you with sharp intense precision with this looming sorrowful vocal, then you listen harder, you perk up a bit and it suddenly feels like this song is wide open, a desert - a vast intimidating mass, flashing colours and a sound which makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, it's a scary sound but so fucking beautiful. This record really is haunting, beautiful and has so much power. Let me know what you think, i'd be interested in seeing how this song makes you feel...



Download link http://www.divshare.com/download/9606632-bcd

Here is a poster and review for the night we played at..

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http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=4255

Thursday 3 December 2009

Pirate Radio

Brilliant documentary about pirate radio.


Tuesday 1 December 2009

The Truth

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There are few records that i know and love that have the power that some of the songs on this album hold and have over me. I thought about this record this morning and i haven't actually stuck it on for a long time. So this morning, i decided that i'd put it on.

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My god, It's an amazing record, the accompaniment, every shimmering texture comes alive in big surges of power and the memories listening to this record made me lie staring straight at the ceiling for the duration of the album reciting on the bare ceiling a fuzzy psychedelic haze of a photo book of what each song reminded me of. The record is really beautiful in places and also a bit naff but nonetheless i thought i'd share it with you because i care a lot about this record and hopefully you will to. rest in piece dee dee.

Here is the link via the mesmirization blog

http://www.mediafire.com/?xtmjozywiyr

Monday 30 November 2009

Martini On Ze Go

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In one of my earlier posts i disagreed with Lydon and Pop endorsing butter and car insurance but this is something else. Serge stepping in for martini and other publicty bits is fucking fantastic, i've not seen any footage that accompanies these recordings but can only imagine. Silky smooth. Here are the download links. Enjoy..

http://www.divshare.com/download/9543246-d90

http://www.divshare.com/download/9543247-60a

http://www.divshare.com/download/9543248-ab6

http://www.divshare.com/download/9543249-9d5

http://www.divshare.com/download/9543250-3d3

Sunday 29 November 2009

Polish Flea market

When s.c.u.m did a tour of poland last winter we were told about a flea market round the corner from our hotel in Krakow. The skies over poland were bleak and the morning was absolutely frozen. The first sign we saw of street sellers i went storming in losing everyone. It was snowing hard and the product splaid out on the wide alley was getting soaked, they didnt care much. Reminded me of east street on a saturday, loads of rubbish and a lot of shouting. I got to the end of the alley and there was the most amazing little grotto, occupied by an eighty something year old woman, fag hanging out of her mouth reading a book. This grotto was wall to wall of books, the ceiling was leaking a bit and there were book sleeves in tatters all over the place. I started rummaging around and started to find this great set of books.

I bought a few others that weren't from this series so i think i probably bought about 25 books in all for 10 zlotych which i think works out at around 3 quid. Fucking bargain. I was reading passages from the books looking at the covers for hours on our way back to warsaw (and seeing who could stick there head out of the window the longest) ....

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I've been trying to find information about these books on the internet, or even pictures, not much luck. If you know anything get in touch the publishers are called 'zapamietaj ten znak'.. later on, relieved, i found Tom in the actual market with ten bags full of stuff. Antlers, trousers, strange instruments and an old doctors bag for not much more than i paid! Both our hands were blue, so we went into the supermarket for a bit.

Friday 27 November 2009

Track of the Week #1

Petalouda - What Can You Do In Your Life?

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From the Psych Funk 101 compilation, acid drenched fuzzed out funky greek psychedelia with the deepest darkest groove. What a vocal! this song makes me go weak at the knees.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZXCCMA9J

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Christine 23 Onna

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Christine 23 Onna, what can i say? You need to hear this. The genius of noisician Yamazaki Maso widely known as masonna, one of the coolest cats on the japanese scene for well over twenty odd years and Toda Fusao of Angel'in Heavy Syrup...

I recently picked up two cdr's from a shop in notting hill by the band, entitled 'Shiny Crystal Planet and Acid Eater'. On first listen i couldn't make sense of the fact that these albums actually came out in early two thousands. The tracks are groovy as hell with the most demonic fuzz, throbbing synthesized landscapes and In true japanese style some intense spacey echo effects. Both albums are completely instrumental, the synthesizer playing is fucking next to none and they look so cool. They sound pretty dissimilar to a lot of bands that have come out of japan in the past 50 years and a lot more like an italian or french soundtrack from the late sixties, early seventies. The tracks all collide into one another so well, making it so hard to play just one song to your friends. I can't stress how good some of the synthesizer bits are on these albums, air synthesizer will be massive in a year or two just you wait.

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I will be getting this all pressed up because i can't find a trace of the vinyl copies anywhere and this shit needs to be played everywhere.

Here is a link to the ACID EATER album, my preferred album via the celiosom blogspot

http://rapidshare.com/files/290784835/Christine_23_Onna_-__Acid_Eater.rar

And here is a link to the SHINY CRYSTAL PLANET album via the terror noise audio blogspot

http://www.mediafire.com/?bsrmcvr5u5b

Taj Mahal Travellers Film

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Here is a link to the Matsuo Ohno film footage of the Taj Mahal Travellers, most of it i think is shot on super 8 so it's bound to look incredible when a bunch of japanese psyched up long hairs invade scandinavia and europe. Nothing particular happens in this film, no outrageous parties or Jonestown like antics, just fucking strange performances and amazing footage of one of the most creative and intense bands to come out of the japanese rock n roll scene. It's fun to have on as something in the background at parties or just to relax and watch...

http://www.ubu.com/film/taj.html

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Thursday 19 November 2009

Clash Trainer

the company i work for, recently were asked to curate a fanzine for UK Punk high flyers The Clash. I was asked to write a passage and send it over to the board at converse, i sent my initial draft to my boss and he without checking it over sent it straight on to them. I went on tour and have arrived at work today, and realised we have been sacked from the project, here was my input into the fanzine.

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"My argument on the clash is, that the clash is relevant to our generation in the way that we were brought up listening to this by our parents and often enough our balding secondary school teachers who were there and witnessed first hand the effect they had and can tell you in great great detail what a profound influence they had on them and how ‘music would be nothing without them’. But with that strong well supported preached opinion, comes the burden of something being over played, over appreciated and for me in particular over looked. Like the Beatles and the stones I was told I had to like them, I’ve seen the aftermath of stupid old bastards singing the same shit over and over being honored left right and centre, a snorted dad and a baker street shop, that I got into the pretty things and the Fall and went in search for something I hadn’t heard before. In a time when we are exposed to catalogues of music on the click of a button, we’re always trying to discover more, so when something is shoved down your throat you immediately feel repulsed by the subject and you go looking for what is not directly in front of your eyes and the clash were one of those things unfortunately. In my opinion you have to develop a unique connection with a band of undoubted influence and prestige so that appreciation of a band goes past who their fans are and goes past the 50,000 x 50,000 mile queue that follows close behind and really listen to the music in a way it was intended to be heard. Like Elvis and The Fall both said 50,000 Elvis/Fall fans can’t be wrong. So what’s the point of arguing with that? You either like it or you’ve just been preached to and not lovingly introduced to for so long you forgot they existed. Preached to about a god you may have liked given half the chance. I like the clash but big fucking deal. Love the unloved and find the unfound, the fact there is a trainer being made about them and not fucking Miles Davis or the fall says it all. The clash do not epitomize for me and a lot of my generation the feeling of youth and rebellion, they epitomize our mums and dads youth and a rebellion against an England which works and exists in a very different way now. Punk rock no longer is the sound of rebellion but an amazing look back into what music and England has gone through in the past 40 years. This is our white riot only more like a generational version, we want a riot of our own, but how can we do that when we’re wearing shoes plastered with the idea and a concept of a band we don’t understand. Put these trainers on your mantle piece or buy them for your kids, buy into something that has no fucking relevance to the band you love."

This is good though...

Desmond Leslie

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Recently i got in contact with the nephew of the Avant garde composer Desmond Leslie to ask him about his uncle's past in the royal air force, i had heard a story from my dad but wasnt sure. Here is the response he sent me when i asked him if it was actually true. .

"He trained secretly in Florida with the rest of the cadets when the US joined the war, so he effectively missed the battle of britain.

However, his stories were mainly funny in nature.

He faked footage of flying through a railway tunnel, by zooming in on a lightbulb through a drainpipe on a super 8 camera, and cut this in with his own footage - playing it back proudly to his peers who caught him when the noticed the splices on the film.

He also found a layer in the sky in which his Spitfire caused vapor trails - at which time he attempted to write FUCK in the sky hundreds of feet across, but only managed the first 3 letters before the smoke turned black and he had to land, his ranking officer remarked "Leslie your a Cunt".

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He borrowed a friends Hurricane and nose dived it from several thousand feet, to illustrate its inferiority to the spitfire, the Hurricane was torn apart by the inertial forces and he bailed out, crashing the plane. He thought he proved his point.

He drove a spitfire down a country lane in Yorkshire and was reduced to no flying duties for a month.

Desmond also came across a experimental classified Mosquito bomber (two engined planes were regarded as Buses next to the zippy one engine fighters) He put his two fingers up and screamed away - intending to leave them in his dust - but sure enough they were right at his side, he tapped his speed gauge - and at full throttle gave them a puzzled look before they put their two fingers up and took off at twice his speed leaving him confused in their wake...

He eventually resigned from the Airforce remarking after successfully destroying a great deal of fighter aircraft, much of it his own - that the war effort would be cheaper with out-him....

thats about all i can remember...

let me know if you want other information.

Sincerely

Luke Leslie "


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You can find all about the musical side of Leslie from a Trunk records reissue or here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1327100/Desmond-Leslie.html. My mum actually picked up an original copy of his Music Concrete LP Music Of The Future from my grandads house as a present for me. I never listened to music concrete once until my dad heard i had a copy and told me what an influence it was on him and his own music. You can here bits of it have been sampled on avant hard. The actual sleeve i have of Music Concrete is hand painted and the vinyl is thick as fuck. I'll upload a scan of it soon, some of the stories behind his songs are marvellous. Very similar in his workings to Joe Meek's early project with the blue men 'I hear a new world' E.P only without the pop rhythms. Brilliant Electronics.

Most people may know leslie as this fellow



If you like him that much you can go and stay in his castle, have a look

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/haunted178.html

fucking brilliant. Any takers?