the "Priest" they called him

Got a lot of positive feedback from some good friends on the last William S. Burroughs post. I was also asked if I could post some more. I decided I’d post this one first & see what kind of reception it gets. If it does well or if anyone is interested, I also have Real English Tea Made Here, a very rare & very unique three-disc collection of tape experiments Burroughs recorded 1964-1965. But enough & onward…

The "Priest" they called him is a collaboration between Burroughs & Kurt Cobain. Burroughs reads “The "Priest"…”, a short piece first published in Exterminator! while Cobain provides guitar backing based on “Silent Night” & “To Anacreon in Heaven”.

The original release was a hand-numbered limited edition 10-inch picture disc with the song on the A side while the flip-side featured etched autographs of Burroughs & Cobain: William S. Burroughs & Kurtis Donald Cȯhbaine. It was subsequently re-released on CD & 10-inch vinyl. The 10-inch vinyl reissue has the cover art in black & white in the center on the A side with their autographs on the reverse.

The cover image is by Mark Trunz, who also took the picture of Cobain on the cover back. The picture of Burroughs was taken by Gus Van Sant for his book 108 Photographs. Cobain's friend & Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic is featured on the cover as the Priest.

 

William S. Burroughs / Kurt Cobain – the “Priest” they called him single-sided 10”,
Tim/Kerr Records TK9210044, 1993.
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Enjoy,

NØ

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse

Doctor Mabuse was made famous in three movies director Fritz Lang made about the character. Dr. Mabuse is a master of disguise & telepathic hypnosis. Mabuse rarely commits his crimes in person, instead operating primarily through a network of agents implementing schemes he has planned for them. Mabuse's agents range from: career criminals working for him; innocents blackmailed or hypnotized into cooperation; & dupes manipulated so successfully they do not realize that they are doing exactly what Mabuse planned for them to do.

 

Mabuse's identity often changes. One Dr. Mabuse may be defeated & sent to an asylum, jail, or grave, only for a new Dr. Mabuse to later appear, as depicted in The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. The replacement invariably has the same methods, the same powers of hypnosis, & the same criminal genius. There are even suggestions in some installments of the series that the real Mabuse is some sort of spirit that possesses a series of hosts psychically.  

 

The Mabuses is a band formed in London in 1991 to carry out the musical schemes of the evil Doctor. They released three albums to mirror the three films of Fritz Lang that memorialized the criminal master-mind. The band was fronted by the enigmatic Kim Fahy. The Mabuses present music that mixes pop sensibilities with the more esoteric concerns of film & literature. Lyrically & musically, their recordings can be described as modern psychedelia. Fahy's rhythmic/melodic style is rooted in folk-derived Brit-pop typified by the likes of Syd Barrett.According to the Doctor’s devious plan, the music’s nursery rhyme loopiness with whimsy & surrealism combined…all strangeness, quirk, & sinister charm where nothing is quite as it seems. 

 

 

The Mabuses ‎– The Mabuses, Rough Trade ‎– R2771, 1991.
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Side A –

Cubicles

In the Long Run

Kicking a Pigeon

Brightmares

Mad Went the Barber

Diego N°1

Side B –

The Gibbon Walk

That’s How Men Drop

Life as a Lifeboat

The Novice

Diego N°2

We Rested our Feet

Nightcap

Enjoy,
NØ

The Elvis of Letters

 

I was re-uploading requests this week-end. One of the things I re-posted was Ken Colyer’s Back to the Delta, some Delta blues & skiffle from 1954. It was on a post called “Luckily, we had some Rotenone” which featured the cover & a short excerpt from Tornado Alley by William S. Burroughs. GR had requested that I post some of the Insect himself. I have quite a bit of Burrough’s spoken word recordings but just never got around to posting any. This re-up prompted me to remedy that situation.

Here is a rare audio collaboration between Drugstore Cowboy compatriots Gus Van Sant & Burroughs. Van Sant takes care of the tunes (composition, bass, & drum machine) while Burroughs contributes his inimitable croak & unequaled words, reading four short pieces with (his voice often being electronically manipulated). I’ve always really enjoyed this release. I hope you all do, too.

The Elvis of Letters features: William S. Burroughs – narrator; Doug Cooeyate – guitar; Gus Van Sant – music.

William S. Burroughs & Gus Van Sant – The Elvis of Letters 45rpm, 

Tim/Kerr Records T/K 9112º01, 1985.
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Side A:
Burroughs Break
Word is Virus

Side B:
Millions of Images
The Hipster Be-bop Junkie

Enjoy,
NØ

Readings in Astrology

 

 

Here are a few singles featuring the vocal styling of Jesse Anderson.

Jesse was born Octiver Jesse Anderson on August 21, 1940 in Paris, Arkansas. He is a singer, songwriter, & saxophonist. Jesse recorded for Federal, Chess & Thomas Records. He was known as the "ow-wow man" in Chicago in the late 60s & early 70s. His most well-known song, “I Got a Problem” was written by Anderson & Gene Barge & has been covered by a lot of artists like Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, & Bobby Rush. The flip-side was “Mighty Mighty” written by Curtis Mayfield. Jesse co-wrote “Somebody Loan Me a Dime” covered by The Blues Brothers.

He played & toured with Otis Rush, Little Jimmy Johnson, Earl Hooker, & Sonny Thompson as a vocalist & saxophonist. He had his own band, The Blues Toppers, in Kansas in the late 50s & got his earliest recording break as vocalist for Willie Wright & His Sparklers. My favorite song of the four is “Readings in Astrology”, the b-side of the “Let Me Back In” single. “Readings” was also written by the legendary Curtis Mayfield.

 

 

 

Willie Wright & His Sparklers – I’m Gonna Leave You Baby (& I’m Goin’ Away to Stay) b/w Just Let Me Love You (Don’t Change Your Mind),
Federal Records 45-12406, 1961.
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Side A –

I’m Gonna Leave You Baby & I’m Goin’ Away to Stay

Side B –

Just Let Me Love You, Don’t Change Your Mind

 

Jesse Anderson – Let Me Back In b/w Readings in Astrology, Thomas TH807, 1970.

Side A –

Let Me Back In

Side B –

Readings in Astrology

Enjoy,

NØ