On any post, if the link is no longer good, leave a comment if you want the music re-uploaded. As long as I still have the file, or the record, cd, or cassette to re-rip, I will gladly accommodate in a timely manner all such requests.

Slinging tuneage like some fried or otherwise soused short-order cook

28 July 2015

Searching for World Domination

A long-time friend of NSS requested these. He has always left thoughtful & insightful comments. He has never before requested anything here, but has been willing to put up with the crap I foist on all of you. For that I hold him in quiet respect & am honored to be able to fulfill his search for WORLD DOMINATION...





World Domination Enterprises – Let’s Play Domination, Product Inc. 33 PROD 18, 1988.
both decryption codes in comments

Side 1 –
Message for You People
Blu Money
Trouble Enough
I Can’t Live Without My Radio
Look Out Jack
Hotsy Girl
Ghetto Queen

Side 2 –
Asbestos Lead Asbestos
That Woman
Jah Jah Call You
Ragamuffin Man
The Bullit Man
The Stack Blew Jack
Funkytown


Reel 1 –
Hit Me Little Children (Hard Kid mix)
Asbestos lead asbestos (Heavy Pollution mix)
Funkytown (Let’s Go mix)

Reel 2 –
Message 4U People
Asbestos Lead Asbestos
Rare Mix
The Bullit Man
Hotsy Girl

Reel 1 recorded Jan. 10, 1988
Reel 2 recorded live April 13, 1988 at the Mean Fiddler, London

Enjoy,

25 July 2015

Meet the Music People





I am here to rectify an oversight perpetrated by yours truly as well as many others. I'm always pimpin' Adrian S. & On-U Sound, & rightly so, as he/they are honestly great purveyors of high-octane UK Dub. Then after On-U, most people name-check Mad Professor & Jah Shaka, & rightly so (here's a taste of the two working together on "Morphing Dub").

There is one artist in the UK Dub roots field that for some reason gets overlooked much of the time, Dougie 'Conscious' Wardrop of Conscious Sounds, Centry, Bush Chemists (& on & on). I have been meaning to post up some of his fantastic Dub creations for some time now…& that time is now.

In 1988, Dougie Wardrop started his career in music while running Dub Shack Records at Camden Market. Wardrop was a fan of the Dub royalty of Jamaica: King Tubby; Lee Perry; Prince Jammy; & Scientist. Inspired by their DIY ethos, as well as work by early UK digital steppers such as Seventh Seal by Nick Manasseh & Warrior Stance by Dread & Fred (on Jah Shaka's label), he decided to create his own label "Conscious Sounds" & begin his own musical production. His first attempt at mixing was the instrumental Stepping Time, that he recorded on a 4-track at Nick Manasseh's house. 

Nick Manasseh was a sound system operator in London. Manasseh's sound system was originally built in 1985 by a group of school friends (Nick, Ed Maiden, & Billy T). They premiered their sounds on a Sunday morning at Notting Hill Carnival that year. Manasseh's sound system was originally based in West London in the Shepherds Bush area. Nick started producing music the same year for sound system dub plates. His earliest productions became Sound Iration. The first single Seventh Seal was issued on the Mystic Red label in 1988.




Dougie's first attempt, the Stepping Time 7" was released under the name Centry in September 1990. It became the launch of his imprint Conscious Sounds. Centry was Dougie along with two of his friends Chris Petter & Nigel Lake. The quality of the release quickly caught the attention of UK reggae artist Anthony 'Tena Stelin' Robinson. Anthony took the name Tena Stelin from the Amharic language of Ethiopia, which, translated, means 'greetings'. In 1992 Tena Stelin & Dougie released Tena Stelin meets Cenrty – Sun & Moon, Conscious Sounds DNC001 in the grand Jamaican tradition of a series of reggae tunes (Tena) & then their Version (Dougie). Here's an example: "Babylon Won’t Succeed /Version".

In 1990 Nick Manasseh had set up his first studio in Brixton. Manasseh Studio was a magnet for many visiting Jamaican artists including Dennis Brown, the Mighty Diamonds, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott, Brigadier Jerry, Josie Wales, Charlie Chaplin, Johnny Osbourne, & Junior Delgado. Much of Dougie's early recording for the Conscious Sounds collective’s output took place at the Manasseh Studio. Conscious Sounds quickly became one of the labels, if not THE label for Roots & Stepper music coming out of England. (here's a joint venture – "The Last Call")

Getting record shops to stock a new label's records was a hassle at first, but after receiving extensive play by Jah Shaka, Conscious Sounds sales picked up, which gave Dougie encouragement for further releases. After working with Manasseh on the labels first three singles, Dougie used the money made from those releases to invest in a 8-track & his recording facilities shifted to Nigel Lake's house.



In 1993 Wardrop formed The Bush Chemists as a side-project to Centry. His main collaborators are Paul Davey, Kenny Knots, & Culture Freeman. Bush Chemists first release was Jonah Dan meets The Bush Chemists ‎– Dubs from Zion Valley on the JKPD label. The first Conscious Sound Bush Chemists release was 1994s Strictly Dubwise. I am posting the CD version as it has five additional tracks.

The Bush Chemists – Strictly Dubwise, Universal Egg WWCD006, 1994.
all decryption codes in comments

Tracklist –
Dub to Selaisse
Jah Kingdom Dub
Science
Shanti Rock
Tribal Dub
Drug is a Ting
Some People Dub
Northern Lights
Tomb of Soloman
Healing Dub
Sub Dub
Bongo Man Dub
Maniac Dub
Firehouse Dub
Purple Skunk Dub

The Bush Chemists first US release was Dub Outernational, recorded in Wardrop's attic studio released in 1996 on ROIR.

Dougie & Conscious Sounds operated under various names beside Centry or The Bush Chemists: East meets West; Messenjah; Dub Specialist; & Hydroponics are some. (Messenjah was Dougie & his apprentice engineer Prento & East meets West was a collaboration between Dougie & Hiroshi mixing in oriental sounds to the steppa-style [Hiroshi was working at Conscious Sounds but he overstayed his visa & got deported back to Japan]). Inspired as he was by the pioneers in Dub, Dougie has never been too shy to experiment, but with all the electronic manipulation, this is not 21st Century Dub, this is high-powered JA style steppers.

In the late 90s Dougie struck a deal with the Dubhead label for the manufacturing & release of the music being produced by Conscious Sounds. The deal was abandoned when unpaid royalties & opposing attitudes on the direction of the music lead to disputes. Conscious Sounds is now once again an independent label. Aided by the internet & a new generation of Dubheads, Wardrop has been re-releasing long out of stock material. The side-label Lovedub has also been launched that features tunes & remixes previously only heard as Dubplates. Also since regaining independence, a string of high-quality 10"ers has been produced. All "DNC" releases are from the 90s. All "CS" releases are from after the label relaunched.

Well, I've rambled on long enough trying to correct my sins of omission. The best thing I can do is offer you what I have always felt was the best (& most personal) of all Dougie's work…

Centry meets The Music Family – Release the Chains, Conscious Sounds DNC CD004, 1994.

Tracklist –
Release the Chains (mix one)
Friend or Foe?
Rockers Stand Guard
The Longest Day
The Testament
Melody of Life
Saturday Steppers
Phases of the Moon
Dub Tropicana
Centry’s Freedom Song
The Outlaw
Release the Chains (mix three)

More time,

22 July 2015

Make Mine Veggie Teriyaki


Perennial favorite around these parts William S. Burroughs II traveled extensively throughout Mexico, Central & South America, Europe, & the Middle East in his day, but ended up settling down in Lawrence Kansas. He moved to there in 1981. He lived there for the remainder of his life.

He once told a reporter from the Wichita (Kansas) Eagle that he was content to live in Lawrence, saying, "The thing I like about Kansas is that it's not nearly as violent (as New York), & it's a helluva lot cheaper. & I can get out in the country, fish & shoot & whatnot." You all should know by now how much this Zero treasures his whatnot.

In Lawrence, Kansas in 1982, Burroughs developed a painting technique whereby he created abstract compositions by placing spray paint cans some distance in front of blank surfaces, then shooting at the paint cans with a shotgun.



Teriyakis hail from Lawrence, Kansas, & their music reminds me of Burroughs painting method. They kinda line up some lyrics & instruments of all kinds in front of their microphones & blast'em with their big guns. This shotgun method creates quite a sonic multiple-musicality between one song & the next or more often right in the midst of a song, aural creativity splattered against their musical canvas. Maybe they're sounding like a 60s style psychedelic pop band like Apples in Stereo, the next minute an early 90s indie rock mix of Pavement & Sonic Youth, then maybe a noisy punk band.

The influences of a band like Polvo can be heard in much of their guitar sound (no surprise that the release is produced by Bob Weston (Polvo, Sebadoh, & more). The dissonance & strange guitar tunings are prevalent in an outsider combination of bending guitars mixed with Teriyakis weirdness. You'll find creative samples mixed in with intelligent instrumentation & cool shifting time signatures mixed together to create amazing soundscapes disguised as songs with the essential freaky Teriyakis lyrics.

Ripped by me. Converted to 320 from lossless. Here Teriyakis are: Brent Piepergerdes; Hiram Lucke; Brandon Brown; Bill Lamboley; & Mia: The Radio Boll Weevil with Elizabeth Giffin on clarinet for "Return of the Panda"

This one's for a friend. In an e-mail, he stated (excerpted to remove the blush factor)…

"…a big part of what makes your blog…better than those that just have a cover photo and a download link,”

To be honest, I've sorta been leaning in that direction lately (I've been hella busy as of late [my lame excuse]) & so he was causing me to feel guilty, so I took a little time to do a bit more.

He also said…

"for sharing information as well as the cool, the rare, and the just plain odd recordings that are out there. "

This one's plenty odd & definitely out there.

Teriyakis - Haunted Hungarian Sauna, Priapus Records, 2000.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –
Brown Family Theme
Candela
Darth Waiter
Peter Lorre’s Big Red Munster
Pocketful of Sunshine
Seesaw
To My Daughter
Another Pocketful of Shame
Picaresque & Proud
Return of the Panda
Leon’s Yawn
Happy in Erie
Inside the Samba Drome
Helga’s Blues
Stroke Pt. II
Ryde Øë Ghêti

This Jon’s for Der,

18 July 2015

A Place of Delicate Beauty & Magical Charm



At 1:53 on “Souls Dirge”, the guitar comes alive & from then on we are transported to…

Larry Coryell – Fairyland, Universe Records UV 180, 1971.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –

Souls Dirge
Eskdalemuir
Stones (Miles Davis cover)
Further Explorations for Albert Stinson

On Fairyland: Larry Coryell – guitar; Chuck Rainey – bass; & Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie – drums.

Recorded live in Montreux, Switzerland June 18, 1971. Front cover art by Gage Taylor.

Be Amazed,

16 July 2015

Love Under the Mexican Moon





Lately, I've been having this thing for Johnette Napolitano. I just don't want to get too far away from the sound of her voice, whether it's her solo Sketchbooks or Scarred (which I posted here) or her work as vocalist & bassist with Concrete Blonde

Here's a compilation of previously unreleased tracks. A great place to start for newbie (all three of you) & ConBlonder alike. If you haven't listened to this band before (I'm talking to you three, pay attention), these are some alternate versions to some of their finest styles ("God is a Bullet" live [for the L.A.P.D.], "Bloodletting" extended version, &  "Tomorrow, Wendy" live are particularly terrific). Then you can pick your favorites & go find the releases where they were featured. If you're already a fan, then here're some variations to add to the gold.

Concrete Blonde – Still in Hollywood, I.R.S. Records, 1994.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –
It’ll Chew You up & Spit You Out
Everybody Knows
Free
God is a Bullet
Probably Will
Mandocello
The Ship Song
Joey (acoustic)
Little Wing (Hendix cover)
Roses Grow (live)
The Sky is a Poisonous Garden (live)
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) extended version
Simple Twist of Fate (Dylan cover)
Side of the Road
100 Games of Solitaire
Tomorrow, Wendy (live)






Johnette has a 3-song solo EP entitled Naked that's a preview of her upcoming full-length solo album, tentatively set for release in September. Naked is, as the title suggests, a stripped down, acoustic set of Johnette's extraordinary voice & guitar.

Here's a taste, the third song entitled "Jazz on Vinyl". It’s a gritty ballad drenched in tequila & Johnette.



Enjoy,




Carry-on Catastrophe Shock



This is a compilation of the first five Shock 7”ers with an extra track by each band. Comes with a 12-page booklet (included here). Most artwork by Savage Pencil except Drunk with Guns cover by Alex Binnie & Nurse with Wounds Sinister Senile EP cover by Steven Stapleton.



Various – The Portable Altamont, Shock SX012CD, 1991.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –

I Live in the Bottomless Pit
Bo Diddley’s Shitpump
A Guide to Canine Foreskin Retraction – Skullflower

Wrong Eye (vocals by Rose McDowall)
Scope
Meaning What Exactly? – Coil

She is Dead & All Fall Down
God has Three Faces & Wood has No Name
The Blue Gates of Death (Before & Beyond Them) – Current 93

Human Human Human (featuring Organum
Psychedelic Underground (in Memory of Lüüd Noma)
Scapegoat – Nurse with Wound

Drunks Theme
Punched in the Head
Cowboy (instrumental)
Fuck Off & Die You Worthless Little Faggot – Drunks with Guns

Enjoy or die, you worthless...

12 July 2015

Keepin' it Psychedelic



Chico Magnetic Band – Self-titled, Disques Vogue 17001, 1971.
decryption code in comments

Face A –
Explosion
Pop Pull Hair
Lots of Things
We All Come & Go

Face B –
To Where I Belong
My Sorrow
Cross Town Traffic (hommage à Jimi Hendrix)
Pop Orbite

Enjoy,

07 July 2015

One More Hit of Acid from RUK (& Dr. Tim)



Here the players are:  Manuel Göttsching – guitar & synthesizer; Steve A – organ & synthesizer; Hartmut 'Hawk' Enke – bass, guitar, & synthesizer; Dieter Burmeister & Tommie Engel – drums with Timothy Leary, Bettina Hohls, Brian Barritt, Liz Elliott, & Portia Nkomo – vocals; Micky Duwe – flute & vocals. Recorded by Dieter Dierks at Dierks Studios.

Timothy Leary & Ash Ra Tempel – Seven Up, Die Kosmishen Kuriere KK58.001, 1973.
decryption code in comments

Seite 1 – Space  

.a Downtown
.b Power Drive
.c Right Hand Lover
.d Velvet Genes

Seite 2 – Time 

.a Timeship
.b Neuron
.c SHe

Enjoy,

05 July 2015

The Voyage of the Spaceship Galaxy


Back on August 23, 2014 I posted up a little history of The Cosmic Jokers. At the time I also offered up their second & third albums. Here’s is a follow-up with their first.


The Cosmic Jokers & Sternenmädchen - Planeten Sit-in, Kosmiche Musik KM58.013, 1974.
decryption code in comments

Seite 1 –
Raumschiff Galaxy Startet
The Planet of Communication
Elektronenzirkus
Der Nar rim All
Raumschiff Galaxy Fliegt in die Sonne
Intergalactic Nightclub
Loving Frequencies

Seite 2 –
Electronic News
Intergalactic Radio Guri Broadcasting
Raumschiff Galaxy Gleitet im Sonnenwind
Interstellar Rock: Kosmiche Musik
Raumschiff Galaxy Saust in die Lichtbahnen
Der Planet des Sternenmädchens

Genießen,

03 July 2015

Wet Dreams of a Romax Sound System





Came to Dub by way of punk. By '77 we were ready to tell the Corporate Music Machine to FUCK OFF. The shit they were playing on the radio. Then came Punk Salvation. With it came the awareness of all things JA: the political repression of the poor (read black); the way of Jah Ras Tafari; & of course, the sacredness of ganja. Dub had it all. Reggae just seemed a touch too??? New Wave, I guess, for this anarcho-crust. But one song that was making the rounds was the Reggae singer/porn crooner Max Romeo’s title track from his 1976 release War Ina Babylon. Somehow Max had found his way to the Black Ark & had fallen in with Lee Perry. Max had hooked up with the Upsetters & was chasing the devil.




Fast forward to 2005. Jamaican Recordings releases a Dub album from the reggae great. A Dub album recorded in 1974.  Before War Ina Babylon. This is strong MOJO.

What a cast of players: Max on vocals; Chinna Smith – lead guitar; Tony Chin & Winston Bo Peep – rhythm guitar; Robbie Lynn – keyboards; Winston Wright – organ; Tommy McCook – tenor sax; Vin Gordon & Deadly Headley Bennett – 'bone; Robbie Shakespeare – bass; Santa Davis – drums; & backing vocals by Cynthia Scholas, Marcia Griffiths, Barry Llewellyn, & Earl Morgan.

Once more special thanks to ASFM. I am always searching & to paraphrase the Proverb(s) on the cover: 'a searcher of music shall be overwhelmed by tunes.'  Overwhelm me, Jah.


Max Romeo – Crazy World of Dub, Jamaican Recordings JRLCD21, 2005.
decryption code actually in comments

Tracklist –
Ethiopian Anthem
Dis Dub Nhu Free
Crazy World of Dub
Dub Trouble
Dub Down Rome
Dub for Moses
Dubbing Dangerously
Take Dub Serious
Dub Ganja
Love Thy Dub
The Dub Clock
Dis Ya Dubwise, Keep You Moving
Can’t Hide from Dub
Dub Forever

Dub forever,

02 July 2015

Spear of the Nation




Originally talked about this when I posted up Warzone by The Missing Brazilians.



From that post –

"One of the stalwarts of Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sounds Dub revival, Prince Far I, a man to grace any style with wisdom, a chanter to quake the walls of the city, a preacher to strike fear in the weak of heart, humble in the garden & proud in the city, was shot dead in Jamaica, September 15, 1983, one year short of his 40th birthday. "

(Prince) "Far I was close to completing a new album on the day of his murder. It was posthumously released under its working title Umkhonto We Sizewe (Spear of the Nation). Prince Far I's last session included the recording of a track called "Special Request" which "felt like he was saying goodbye" states Roy Cousins, lead singer of The Royals & producer of Far I's final recordings, who had been with Prince Far I that day in the studio. Cousins continues: "The next day I went to meet Prince at the studio but Jim Brown stopped me at Randy's Record Shop and told me that Far I had been shot last night and passed away. I was shocked and could not believe it, so I went to his home in Edgewater and found a large crowd, everyone filled with grief."

Roy made sure this final statement reached our ears. garychching from my blogging past (Always Searching For Music) made sure it reached my ears. Now I'm passing on the favor & hoping it reaches your ears.


Prince Far I – Umkhonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation),
Kingdom Records KVL9016, 1984.
decryption code in comments

Side One –
Survival
Ask Ask
African Queen

Side Two –
Stop the War
Jerry Doghead
Special Request

Prince Far I with Roots Radics Band & backing vocals by The Viceroys, Jah Lloyd, & Winston Jarrett. Recorded at Channel One, September 1983 by Hopeton Overton 'Scientist' Brown. 
All tracks contain Dub versions.

From the back of the cover "Prince Far I tragically died before completing these, his final works."