Sunday, February 28, 2010

Various Artists - The Sound Of Wonder (2009)



Commonly, ignorantly but understandably lumped in with its wealthy not-too-distant cousin, Bollywood, Lollywood was inspired by, but often overshadowed by its posh and well-traveled relative. Following the simplistic Bombay + Hollywood = Bollywood name game (that would in later years spawn Nollywood in Nigeria), Lollywood's Lahore based film industry was a profitable and vibrant one that found great success in the modest boundaries of its own country but was seldom savoured outside Pakistan. However, the hugely important musical business spawned a bi-product that was viewed as a potential earner for international entertainment industry, EMI, which allowed talented musicians to create ambitious music with world class mediums at there disposal, which throughout the 60s and 70s ranged from fuzz-guitars, space-echo machines and American and European synthesizers, but, due to the composers indigenous roots, rarely a drum-kit. Here you'll find fuzzy, scuzzy, twang-happy, spaced-out and funked up urdu-grooves complete with harmonium melodies and driven by some of the most random factor, freakish, finger-numbing, percussion that the South East Asian mainstream has ever had to offer. Above all, Lollywood soundtracks sound RAW! Re-imagine some of the most action packed Bollywood productions (which Lollywooders actively did) then fire the make-up department, take away the special effects budget and then improvise. The lack of gloss on a dusty Pakistani mini-LP makes for truly experimental Eastern Pop music.

So, it's time to meet the culprits. The names on the back of the records that'll keep you gambling on Ghazals and taking punts on Pakistani pulp-balladry. As an introduction, in place of R.D. Burman and Asha Bhole, we have Mr. M. Ashraf and his long-term female collaborator, Nahid Akhtar. This duo would provide Pakistan with it's Gainsbourg / Birkin or it's Morricone / Dell'Orso for over 20 years, recording squillions of cut-and-paste sonic collages and moog-fuelled desperate love / hate / chase / chill / kill / songs mixing onomatopoeic Urdu lyrics with unexpected bursts of user friendly English language (which often elongates the running time passed the 5 minute mark) and throwing in the odd motif from a Barry White or Donna Summer hit. We also have legends like Noor Jehan, a national treasure and household name in Pakistan whose discography of film songs have deprived the vaults of EMI Pakistan of floor space for half a century. (From the official B-Music press release)

The Sound of Wonder!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Jean-Pierre Massiera - Midnight Massiera - The B-Music Of Jean-Pierre Massiera (2009)



18 sacred psychedelic suppositories from the laboratory of Mad Scientist and scalpel happy Pop-mutilator Jean-Pierre Massiera. Including the rarest and most sought after fuzz-Funk, spooked-Surf and interplanetary-Prog from "The French Joe Meek" and all his schizoid split-personalities and freakish friends - The Maledictus Sound, Chico Magnetic Band, Visitors, Human Egg, The Pirhana Sound and Jesus himself. Bow down to the 9 headed monster as he mutates and shape-shifts back through time to his humble beginnings in a Buenos Aireian province ravaging and pillaging the music of the European people for his own twisted benediction along the way. Add sprinklings of schizophrenia, shock, mirth and macabre and you are on the way to a B-Movie broth with an acquired taste, that has, like all the best cheese, taken aver 30 years to mature to perfection. In the earlier part of his career he honed his sordid kraft amongst psychedelic circles in Nice and Quebec. From late 1972 onwards he moved to Antibes and started a Disco revolution and became an in demand cosmic record producer. For years Prog Rock obsessives and Disco aficionados have wondered if there was 2 unrelated freak merchants called Jean-Pierre Massiera, but, in this rare instance, exploito-maniacs from both sides of the cosmic coin are united by the work of this singular, single handed monstrous music manufactory! (amazon.com)

Midnight Massiera: The B-Music of Jean-Pierre Massiera

Friday, February 26, 2010

Various Artists - Up All Night - 20 Heavy Nuggets From The Golden Age Of Hard Psych (2009)



If rocking's your schtick, and you prefer an atypically sleazy form of it a la a 70s bellbottom, cocaine sniffing sort of way then boy is this for you. If not, well, go the fuck back out west and take it easy I suppose. This collection, put out by the capable hands of bin diggers over at Past & Present, pulls twenty psych greats that essentially fall somewhere in between the hypnotic stoned levels of the Doors and the dark slaying of Black Sabbath. None of them seem to have done much, but from the evidence herein there seems little reason other than pure bad luck. Of course any questions as to their whereabouts are swiftly resolved in the extensive liner notes, which provide mini biographies of each act.

So where do the highlights lie? Well it really depends on your steez I suppose—Highway Robbery's “Fifteen,” torn apart by Rolling Stone in 1972, sounds like a crossbreed between King Crimson and the Sex Pistols, sliding between styles within seconds with propulsive energy and snotty attitude. The Damnation of Adam Blessing, who opened for the Stooges and the Faces, present the loping groove of “Driver,” a pummeling number that keeps it garage-y and epic all at once. Dragonfly's “Enjoy Yourself” presents some serious guitar twang intermixed with a proto metal violence. Wild stuff. Especially Haystacks Balboa's “The Children of Heaven,” a totally schizophrenic proggy number that's like little else to my ear.

Totally a certain thing, but if you're into the thing you could do worse. Especially well suited to cruises around the street on summer nights, beer in hand. (Henry Smith, Digitalindustries.com)

1. Liquid Smoke - Warm Touch
2. Tin House - Be Good And Be Kind
3. The Litter - Journeys
4. The Finchley Boys - Outcast
5. Highway Robbery - Fifteen
6. Euclid - Gimme Some Lovin'
7. Damnation Of Adam Blessing - Driver
8. SRC - Up All Night
9. Bang - The Queen
10. Dragonfly - Enjoy Yourself
11. Granicius - You're In America
12. Steeplechase - Wrought Iron Man
13. Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come
14. Jamul - All You Have Left Is Me
15. Power Of Zeus - In The Night
16. Haystack Balboa - The Children Of Heaven
17. Third Power - Gettin' Together
18. Yesterday's Children - Providence Bummer
19. Head Over Heels - Road Runner
20. Landslide - Sad And Lonely

Up All Night: 20 Heavy Nuggets from Golden Age of Hard Rock

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Various Artists - Patrick Forge Presents The Brazilian Funk Experience (2006)



From playing alongside Gilles Peterson at the now legendary Sunday sessions, 'Talkin Loud and Saying Something', through almost twenty years of his Kiss FM radio show 'The Cosmic Jam', Patrick has enjoyed an illustrious career as a DJ and also as a co-producer of Da Lata working with the talented musician Chris Franck. For the last eight years he has hosted the monthly 'Brazilian Love Affair' sessions at Notting Hill Arts Club as well as his regular Friday night at the same venue, 'Inspirational Information.'

The Brazilian Funk Experience hooks into Patrick's personal love affair with the funky 70s Brazilian sound, digging deeper than deep into the respected EMI-Odeon label. Here he presents 20 solid gold Brazilian nuggets, many as rare as hen's teeth and on CD for the first time...(Liner Notes)


1. Meirelles - No Baixo Do Sepateiro
2. Os Devaneios - Embalo Diferente
3. Som Tres - Homenagem A Mongo
4. Elza Soares - Chove Chuva
5. Marcos Valle - Garra
6. Doris Monteiro - Maita
7. Claudia - Baoba
8. Djavan feat. Mariazinha - Nereci
9. Claudio Jorge - Trem Da Central
10. Joao Donato - Cala Boca Menino
11. Simone - Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser
12. Alaide Costa - Catavento
13. 14 Bis - Bola De Meia, Bola De Gude
14. Djavan - Aquele Um
15. Elis Regina - Sai Dessa
16. Doris Monteiro - Se E Questao De Adeus Alte Logo
17. Joyce - Banana
18. Marcelo - Algo No Ar
19. Toninho Horta - Aquelas Coisas Todas (Sanguessuga)
20. Evinha - Que Bandeira

Brazilian Funk Experience: Rare Grooves from EMI Odeon Vaults (1968-1980)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Various Artists - Finders Keepers (2009)



Finders Keepers is one of those comps that you know was languished over by the compiler - Andy Votel. You can sense the excitement Andy must have felt unearthing lps & '7's' from a crate or cardboard box hidden away in the basement of a second hand record shop. Followed by the discovery of finding one gem from ten albums of utter schlock. For anyone who gratefully stumbled across the 'Cherrystone' series and can't get enough Finders Keepers is for you. For anyone who wants to venture beyond the usual musical boundaries but doesn't know where or how to go this'll take you there. If it gets to weird, trust me you won't be locked into a 15 minute prog, kraut epic. For the seasoned traveller artists who might ring the recognition bell include Dorothy Ashby who as far as I know was the first jazz harpist, the trio Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot & Sacha Distel who sung 'Hippies' on one of BB's TV Special that is available on DVD, Eddie Warner, a name synominous with French Library - a selection of his work is available on 'Le Jazz Beat Vol 2' & Nino Ferrer another French Pop hero who turned his back on Pop for darker realms. (amazon.co.uk)

1. Getting High - Eddie Warner
2. Dance Of The Vampires - The Vampires Of Dartmoor
3. Love, Love, Love, Love - Wool
4. Love - Rita
5. Turnround - Jack Hendrix' Tchick-Bams
6. Crying Bag - The Sounds Of Joy
7. Freak - Nino Ferrer
8. Fall-Out - The Advancement
9. Skit One - Andy Votel
10. Joyfull Grass & Grape - Dorothy Ashby
11. Karkadon - The Devils Anvil
12. Hippies - Brigitte Bardot, Sascha Distell & Serge Gainsbourg
13. Yesterday Folks - US69
14. Skit Two - Andy Votel
15. April Fool - Isis
16. English Sparrow - Paul Parrish

Andy Votel Presents Finders Keepers

Monday, February 22, 2010

Various Artists - Dirty French Psychedelics (2009)



Another excellent release from Dirty Sound Sysytem, gathering ultra-hard-to-find psychedelic tracks in french & english.

1. Christophe - Ferber Endormi
2. Bernard Lavilliers - Les Aventures Extraordinaires D'un Billet De Banque
3. Brigitte Fontaine - Il Pleut
4. Dashiell Hedayat - Long Song For Zelda
5. Cortex - Cortex A
6. Nino Ferrer - Looking For You
7. Jeanne Marie Sens - Tape Tape Tape
8. Jean Jacques Dexter - Be Quiet
9. Alain Kane - Speed My Speed
10. Francois De Roubaix - La Frite Équatoriale
11. Cheval Fou - La Fin De La Vie, Le Début De La Survivance
12. Christophe - Sunny Road To Salina
13. Ilous & Decuyper - Berceuse
14. Karl Heinz Schäfer & Arabian - Utopia

Dirty French Psychedelic