mostly uncategorisable music, recommended and beyond. and some.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Les Granules : Live 1990
The Granules were Quebecose virtuosi Jean Derome (reeds, keys) and Rene Lussier (mostly guitars) also known as the masterminds behind the great Ambiances Magnetiques label. Captured here in an unidentified concert from 1990, with Fred Frith guesting. There must be other suspects too (drums, if anything) but unfortunately no further details are available. Good sounding audience recording. This was uploaded by our main man Hrempe himself. Thanks man!
The semi-official This Heat live album recorded at a concert in Krefeld, Germany, 1980. Cassette-only independent German release, later re-released also in vinyl format. Bootleged under the title Cold Storage. The initial cassettes were carefuly done 1:1 copies on CrO2 tapes with subsequent very good sound. The group was at the height of its powers, working like a clockwork. Power, nicely captured. Contains also one truly great unreleased song.
Fred Frith & Totsuzen Danball : Live At Loft Shinjuku
Another Japan-only Frith edition, a session recorded with the Tokyo guitar/drums duo Totsuzen Danball July 1981 at the time of his Japan tour. Cassette release, reissued later on CD. Improvisations, from abstract to rock.
Someone asked for some Slapp Happy. Their classic albums are all available, Ca Va you can get here, but here is this tiny Peel item from July 1974, just before their famous 'merging' with Henry Cow. Four highly enjoyable songs and a one-off, all-star lineup of Robert Wyatt, Fred Frith, Geoff Leigh, Lindsay Cooper & Jeff Clyne as backing.
Another one from Hrempe. First e.p. from 1983 by this Swedish combo containing J. Lachen in it's ranks. This is actually in print as part of a compilation CD together with their first album and some unreleased stuff, but since you wanted to hear some Zut, here it is! A cracky vinyl rip, had to clean it up a bit. Otherwise pretty rocking and pretty damn fine as well, at least to my ears...
I was very glad to find that some good soul ripped & shared this rare item. This is an outtake from Fish Rising, Hillage's first solo album from '75 and was originaly included in the vinyl-only Virgin Records double compilation V. Never re-released in any form. Backing provided by You era Gong's rhythm section plus Hillage's old pal Dave Stewart on keys. This was always one of my personal favourite songs. Classic Canterbury sound, astral guitar. Coupled here with Shimmer, another rare B-side only co-written with Tim Blake, to make a nice virtual single. Note:Both tracks have since been included as bonus tracks on the 2007 expanded remasters of Fish Rising and L respectively. Shimmer is also in the anthology Lights In The Sky.
Suggested by my man Hrempe. He used the term prog with which i will agree but this is also way beyond and above the term in it's usual meaning. Composed music, inventive, with influences as diverse as folk, classical, gothic. Very hard to categorise, this is one of those records that grows on you. Lachen played mostly all instruments himself, but there are also some guests, mainly people from his other groups Zut Und Feu Rouge and Ur Kaos. Swedish. Get the Cd
The legendary Japan-only double LP documenting Frith's tour in that country in 1981. The title explains all. To be listened to as loud as possible. Serious noise.
This is a tricky one. These 5 songs are included in the After The Heat boot confusingly paired with Gareth Williams' Flaming Tunes solo album (that'll be another post, soon) as the last studio recordings of Heat. But... i couldn't find anywhere (and i looked) any confirmation of the actual existence of these recordings, or even a hint, except for Identity Parade and Polar which were included in the Noisy Champs album by the Drum Trio (Hayward/Chenevier/Brown). So, it's up to us to believe that these recordings are genuine. For me, they definitely sound like Heat. Different, more mainstream, but Heat. Perhaps the work of the last, 4-piece crew? Produced, very good sounding, not demo-quality recordings. Great texts, as usual. You'll just have to check & decide for yourselves.
A few words here on the Out Of Cold Storage box: a couple of weeks ago i finally got my copy. Must confess that i was a bit nervous beforehand, mostly afraid of disappointment. I knew all this stuff in and out, the stories, etc... What new could there be for me? The moment i held it in my hands I was releaved. It's a beauty. The design is immaculate, the CD's look very nice together and what's more important they sound fabulous, a big improvement on the earlier issues (not to mention the LP's!). The live CD is also great and the live pictures are a revelation. Same goes to the booklet. It's 44 pages thick with lots of unseen pics and a great lenghty interview with Bullen & Hayward who take us on a tour through the band's history and comments the records track by track. Great stories, some are even funny - who said that these guys couldn't laugh? All in all, dear friends, this is a must purchase. And is not expensive at all. Taken in consideration that acquiring it you'll get some of the greates music ever put on any carrier... Just buyit! And the rumour is out that the guys are working on a next collaborations/unrelesed anthology...
The untimely departure of genius cellist & multiinstrumentalist Tom Cora was an immense loss to the worldwide creative music community. He was simply one of the very best. And played with all the best. This is the only studio one of his three solo cello albums and is pure Cora.
A friend of mine was lucky enough to witness one of his solo appearances and he told me this little anecdote: Cora went to a walk before the concert and met and befriended some neighbourhood children. Invited them to the show and finally when they showed up, he introduced them to the audience and played them a potpourri of cartoon tunes. Don't know why, but every time i think of him, these pictures pop up in my mind...
Late 70's French duo with a serious Erik Satie fixation. Hector Zazou and Joseph Racaille both on keys and vocals plus some guitars, reeds and violins by guesting musicians. Lots of short & quirky songs with funny titles in the true spirit of their model. Best can be described as chansons in chamber settings but done with a rock feel, unique and in fact pretty indescribable. And georgeous. Totaly French. If you're not careful enough, you may end up falling in love with it... Traite is the second (and final) album by this crew, and is almost entirely acoustic, while the first (Barricades 3, reissued by Recommended - get it!) was more synth dominated. Zazou later went on to become a much sought after producer and composer of more mainstream/ambient music while Racaille is succesful in keeping a low profile.
