Casting Pearlman before Swine

Philip Gadahn, born Philip Pearlman, is an American musician from western Riverside County, California. He is best known as the artist behind several psych-folk happenings in the 60s & early 70s. He has attracted more mainstream attention in recent years because of his son, Adam Yahiye Gadahn, a convert to radical Islam & a suspected al Qaeda operative. Pearlman attended the University of California at Irvine. Phil is the son of a Jewish father & Protestant mother. Pearlman himself was raised agnostic. He converted to Christianity in the early 70s, just prior to recording the underground classic Relatively Clean Rivers. After conversion he changed his last name to ‘Gadahn’ as a tribute to the Bible’s Gideon.

The earliest known release from Phil is a surf/hot rod 45 with some unusual touches from the less-than-legendary Phil & the Flakes. Listed as #23 on the Top 40 Surf Music Vocals by Montjurich Surfboards.

 

Phil & the Flakes – Chrome Reversed Rails b/w Blower Scoop 7" 45,
Hydra Music FINK 1010, 1964.
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After the Flakes flaked, Phil hooked up with other like-minded SoCal BoHo musicians & recorded a free spirited project called The Beat of the Earth.

 

The Beat of the Earth – The Beat of the Earth, Radish 0001, 1967.

Side 1 –

This Record is an Artistic Statement Part I

Side 2 –

This Record is an Artistic Statement Part II

 

Outtakes from the 1967 The Beat of the Earth recording session.

The Beat of the Earth – Our Standard 3-Minute Tune, Radish 0001½, 1994.

Side 1 –

Part I

Side 2 –

Part II

The Electronic Hole is a band put together after BOTE. Pearlman assembled The Electronic Hole in 1969 strictly for personal use, to serve as auditions for musicians for a new band. To help accomplish this & also to add to his own collection of demos, he used local studios in off-hours thanks to his friendship with album engineer Joe Sidore. The fact that Phil did a lot of his own recording helped create the rather unique sound tone of The Electronic Hole. One of the first things is the strange fuzz & noisy power combined with psychedelic riffing complexity. The next thing may be that it only has two song titles…"The Golden Hill" & "Love Will Find A Way" which are then divided into numerous parts. The whole noise usage & street-wise vocals may remind of The Velvet Underground. Pearlman's voice has a sound similar to John Cale's & The Electronic Hole has been called “a West Coast Velvets.

 

This album contains extremely rare songs from an extremely rare band. Original heavy psych sound that drones you into mind wandering. 

 

The Electronic Hole – The Electronic Hole, Radish 0002, 1970.

Side A –

The Golden Hill Part I

The Golden Hill Part II

The Golden Hill Part III

The Golden Hill Part IV

Side B –

Love Will Find a Way Part I

Love Will Find a Way Part II

Love Will Find a Way Part III

 

 

Phil assembled his band in the early 70s & eventually recorded this magnificent rural rock album in 1975. The Relatively Clean Rivers album stands with the very best albums of the era, possessing a purely American sound. Amazingly well produced compared to previous Pearlman releases, it is the very antithesis of his earlier material which was for the most part garage (although they in truth project a certain tangible level of sophistication). No measurable degree of time or expense was spared in the creation of the Relatively Clean Rivers album, which took over a year to assemble. It is one of the most flawless snapshots of the California seventies underground scene you will ever hear.

Some feel this album is the second coming, with strong apocalyptic acid visions & wonderful musicianship. Others feel that it’s a solid rural rock record with strands of late period psychedelia.Whichever, it is worth a good listen.

NOTE: Please avoid purchasing this album from the Radioactive label. Radioactive & its related label, Fallout are pirate operations, meaning they do not pay the original artists or copyright holders when they sell bootleg vinyl rips on CD. Read more about it at NothingExceptional.com.

Relatively Clean Rivers is: Phil Pearlman – vocals, guitar, bass, flute, baglama, harmonica, & synthesizer; Kurt Baker – vocals & guitar; plus John Alabaster – congas & Hank Quinn – drums on “The Persian Caravan” with Dwight Morouse – effects on “The Persian Caravan” & “A Thousand Years”.

Relatively Clean Rivers – Relatively Clean Rivers, Pacific Is 17601, 1976.

Side 1 –

Easy Ride

Journey Through the Valley of O

Babylon

Last Flight to Eden

Side 2 –

Prelude

Hello Sunshine

They Knew What to Say

The Persian Caravan

A Thousand Years

Enjoy,
NØ

Mick's Musick

 

If you’re not already familiar with Mick Collins, then I’m going to do what I can to remedy that right now.

Mick may well be the king of funked-out fuck-you garage punk. Mick was born in Detroit on December 18, 1965. He has been breaking guitar strings for over 25 years now but claims he still has only mastered two chords. He's fried the blues, soul, & punk rock in so many electric batters you could open a small restaurant featuring his many aural feasts.

Collins first got exposure to early rock ‘n’ roll music through his family's record collection. Also, living in Detroit, he was surrounded by Motown records, which also provided influence.

 

Collins first played organ in a band called the U-Boats in 1981. He then played drums in the Wire-influenced art-pop band Floor Tasters from 1984 to 1985. In 1986, the 20-year old Collins helped form the seminal garage punk band, The Gories.

 

The Gories is the real Detroit sound. Forget all that stuff  about how the White Stripes & The Strokes are saving rock ‘n’ roll, creating a new scene. The Gories had a profound understanding of both blues & garage minimalism. Mick Collins’ soul roar combined with Dan Kroha's punk wail mixed with a healthy dose of Peggy O'Neil's heavy thud created a sound capable of melting everyone’s brain. The Gories were the ultimate in totally minimalist, real bluesy garage rock. They epitomize GARAGE band. Primitive electric guitars & primitive drums with no bass. They released three albums & five singles before they called it quits after their 1992 European tour.

The Gories – I Know You Fine, but How You Doin’, New Rose Records ROSE 219, 1990.
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Side 1 –

Hey, Hey We’re the Gories

You Make it Move

Detroit Breakdown

Stranded

Goin’ to the River

Early in the Morning

Thunderbird ESQ

Nitroglycerine

Side 2 –

Let Your Daddy Ride

Six Cold Feet

Queenie

Smashed

Ghost Rider

Chick-Inn

View from Here

 

 

Collins next worked in a basic garage rock band, Blacktop from 1994 to 1996. Much heavier & darker than The Gories, Blacktop ventured into the deepest, darkest corners of the garage for its sweaty inspiration. Among its gems is the rough & ready cover of Captain Beefheart's "Here I Am (Here I Always Am)" along with a slew of stomping originals that sound as if they were penned at a drag strip. Collins & Darin Lin Wood on guitars & vocals are always in fine voice & their anti-heroic guitar riffing merges perfectly. Bassist Alex Cuervo & drummer Janet Walker keep the low end down & dirty.

Blacktop – Up All Night, Au Go Go ANDA 188, 1994.

Side A –

I Think It’s Going to Rain

Tornado Love

Here I Am, I Always Am (Captain Beefheart cover)

44 Blues

Planet Earth (Goddamn)

Bahai

Side B –

Mojo Kitty

Keep on Doggin’ Me

Let Me Go Home, Whiskey

Blazing Streets

Goin’

She’s Mine, All Mine

 

After the demise of Blacktop, Collins helped form King Sound Quartet which had one single in 1996 & one album, The Getdown Imperative in 1997.  This band was made up of: Mick Collins – vocals & guitar; Tim Kerr – guitar; Alex Cuervo (from Blacktop) – bass; & Stephanie Friedman – drums.

 

King Sound Quartet -  Annihilate This Week 7”, Estrus Records ES787, 1996.

Side A –

Annihilate This Week

Side B –

Memphis Town

 

King Sound Quartet – The Getdown Imperative, In the Red Recordings ITR 052, 1997.

Side A –

I Wouldn’t Put it Past You

Inebreation ‘63

I Want To

White Streak

Sheer Terror

Side B –

Space is the Place

 

 

Another project around this time was The Screws. The Screws came about something like this…Epitaph recording artists the Red Aunts went to Detroit in 1997 to record their final album Ghetto Blaster at Ghetto Records studio (owned by Jim Diamond, a name that will continue to pop up numerous times in this saga) with Mick Collins as their chosen producer. The Red Aunts had long been fans of Mick's work & likewise Mick was a fan of the Red Aunts. During a moment of inspiration, the Aunts decided to have Mick record a duet with their vocalist & guitarist Terri Wahl. This was the seed that produced The Screws. Mick & Terri put together a band during one of Mick's many sojourns to Los Angeles for a comic book convention. They enlisted the duties of rhythm-section-for-hire Dan Brown & Marty Moore (from Jacksonville Beach, Florida) to take part in the project. Dan & Marty had a two-piece band called Johnny Hash. Dan is also known as the on again – off again bass player for Royal Trux. Once the debut Hate Filled Classics was recorded, everyone went back to their other projects & forgot about it. After its release, offers began to roll in for live appearances. Mick & Terri did not want to disappoint, so the band toured the western half of the US & Japan with Jimmy Hole (Necessary Evils) on bass & Kerry Davis (Red Aunts) on drums. Their blues infused slop-punk sounds delighted & offended crowds wherever they went. In 2001 they released their second album Shake Your Monkey with their new line-up of Collins, Wahl, Hole, & drummer Mike McHugh.

 

The Screws – Shake Your Monkey, In the Red Recordings ITR 080, 2001.

Side 1 –

Story 16

Keep on Lovin’ Me

In Case You Need love

Flip Your Face

The Storm

I See You, Baby

Ramona say Yes

Side 2 –

Betcha Can’t Kiss Me

Shake it, Baby

Strange Things

If Loving is Believing

I’m Yours & I’m Hers

Monkey Doin’ Woman

I Ain’t in the Mood

 

However, by this time, Collins was most focused on his newest project, The Dirtbombs. The Dirtbombs is Collins' latest garage punk vehicle but unlike the other collective acts he's worked with, he can truly call this one his own. The Dirtbombs is a wide-ranging, musically eclectic band. Beginning with the "High Octane Salvation" single in 1996, the Dirtbombs have come to be Collins' most durable & arguably most popular project (rivaled only by the legendary status of The Gories).

The Dirtbombs had a shifting cast of musicians behind Collins on guitar, consisting of a 2-drum, 2-bass set-up. Since 2004 The Dirtbombs have had a relatively steady line-up: Mick – guitar, keyboards, & vocals; Tom Potter & legendary Ghetto Records owner Jim Diamond - bass & vocals; Ben Blackwell & Pat Pantano – drums & vocals; & Troy Gregory – strings with Eugene Strobe & Shelia Holmes – backing vocals.

The Dirtbombs – Dangerous Magical Noise, In the Red Recordings ITR 099, 2003.

Side 1 –

Start the Party

Get it While You Can

Don’t Break My Heart

Sun is Shining

Earthquake Heart

Thunder in the Sky

Side 2 –

Motor City Baby

Stuck in thee Garage

I’m Through with White Girls

21^st Century Fox

Stop

Stupid

F.I.D.O.

The Dirtbombs -  We Have You Surrounded, In the Red Recordings ITR 150, 2008.

Side One –

It’s not Fun Until They See You Cry

Ever Lovin’ Man

Indivisible

Sherlock Holmes (Sparks cover)

Wreck My Flow

Leopardman at C&A

Side Two –

Fire in the Western World (Dead Moon cover)

Pretty Princess Day

I Hear the Sirens

They Have us Surrounded

Race to the Bottom

La Fin du Monde

 

Mick also played in Voltaire Brothers, a funk project that issued the 2003 album I Sing the Booty Electric. Voltaire Brothers are actually based around a two-headed rhythm section/songwriting duo of Collins on drums, guitar, & vocals along with Jerome Gray on guitar & bass. A gang of others including frequent Collins collaborator & studio engineer Jim Diamond, singers Shelia Holmes & former Atomic Fireball front man John Bunkley among others  have been roped into the rubbery P-Funk-worshiping shenanigans. The group’s debut LP, the six-song I Sing the Booty Electric is a wiggly jointed blast of DIY rubber soul ranging from the dystopian atmospheric groove of “Trouble Man Everyday” (a loose jam-merge of Marvin Gaye’s “Troubleman” & Frank Zappa’s “Trouble Comin’ Every Day”) to sure-fire dance floor flame-ups like the Funkadelic verbalfunknastics of

“Transparabolocwobblemegatronicthangmabutylspasmotickryptorumpalistics (aka Siege Of The Booty Chirren).” It’s a thing of beauty or more rightly, booty…a testament to the Mothership’s ability to hold us all in its tractor beam.

Voltaire Brothers – I Sing the Booty Electric, Fall of Rome FOR 1006, 2003.

Side 1 –

The Mother Ones

I Sing the Booty Electric

Which One

Side 2 –

Funky Motion

Transparabolicwobblemegatronicthangamabutylspasmotickryptorumpalistics \

     (A.K.A. Siege of the Booty Chirren)

Trouble Man Everyday

Aside from all that, Mick has also done solo work (including issuing a split 7" vinyl with Lorrette Velvette for the film Wayne County Ramblin' in which Collins has a role), produced scores of other artists' music (including Andre Williams), DJs, & does vocals for yet another long-time side project, Man Ray, Man Ray. He was the host of Night Train, a Saturday night show on WDET - Detroit Public Radio. Collins was the producer of the CD Drop Dead by Figures of Light, which was recorded in Brooklyn, New York at Mitro's Studios June, 2011 & released on vinyl by Norton Records on November 13, 2011; the remastered CD version was released on May 18, 2012.

Collins is also preparing more Dirtbombs singles & a new LP, as well as a new Voltaire Brothers record, a Man Ray, Man Ray record as well as a techno record.

Although Collins seems to eat, breathe, & secrete music, he claims his madness has a method:

     ”One of my firm beliefs is that if you can't dance to it, it isn't rock and roll. So every band I play in, you're gonna be able to dance to it. Overall, Detroit is really a rah-rah, fist-in-the-air kind of rock town. From soul music to techno, we like music that has a strong rhythm,” he says with a hearty laugh.

Enjoy,

NØ

Agent 00۞

Edwin Starr – Agent Double-O-Soul b/w Agent Double-O-Soul (instrumental), 

Ric-Tic Records RT 103, 1964.

decryption code in comments

Enjoy,

NØ

Hard Rock from the Middle East

 

 

The Devil's Anvil was a hard rock/psychedelic band based out of New York City in the 1960s. They released one album entitled Hard Rock from the Middle East in 1967 showcasing a mix of 60s hard & psychedelic rock with Turkish, Arabic, & Greek vocals & traditional instrumentals. The fuzzed-out guitar wasmingled with oud, bouzouki, tamboura, & Goblet drums. This Middle Eastern acid-rock blend was unique for its time, predating the British trans-global dance bands by 30 years.

Instrumental in the band's formation was producer Felix Pappalardi, who helped sign them with Columbia Records. Pappalardi (born December 30, 1939 & died April 17, 1983) was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, & bass guitarist. As a musician, Pappalardi is widely recognized as the bassist, vocalist, & founding member of the American hard rock band Mountain, a band born out of Pappalardi’s working with future band mate Leslie West's soul-inspired rock ‘n’ roll band The Vagrants.

As a producer, Pappalardi is perhaps best known for his work with British psychedelic blues-rock power trio Cream , as well as his work with The Flock, Hot Tuna, The Youngbloods, & others.

 

 

 

In 1966, while hanging out in Greenwich Village, Pappalardi chanced upon a group of Middle Eastern born or descended musicians called The Devil’s Anvil who were playing at the MacDougal Street Cafe Feenjon. Pappalardi began playing with them. Eventually The Devil’s Anvil became the unofficial house band at Feenjon. The members of the group were: Jerry Satpir - lead guitar & vocals; Steve Knight - rhythm guitar, bass, & bouzouki; Elierzer Adoram – accordion; & Kareem Issaq – oud & vocals. 

 

The Devil’s Anvil – Hard Rock from the Middle East,
Fantazia/Shaitun Records DVA 1031, 1967.
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Side 1 –

Wala Dai        

Nahna Ou Diab          

Karkadon       

Selim Alai      

Isme            

Besaha            

Side 2 –

Shisheler         

Kley            

Hala Laya       

Treea Pethya  

Misirlou          

Enjoy, NØ  

Last of the Last

On a somber note: 
June 4, 2018 - Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of The Last Poets passed away at age 74. 
R.I.P.

Once I start in posting On-U Sound, I want everyone to hear everything. This one is quite unique even for On-U, but Sherwood was always an impeccable producer. This is an EP from Jalal called Mankind.

Jalal is Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, the self-proclaimed 'Grandfather of Rap'. His musical path crossed that of Adrian Sherwood in the early 1990s.

According to musical legend, the South African poet Little Willie Kgositile arrived in New York in 1968. There he joined the Harlem based Black Writer's Workshop called the East Wind, located in Harlem. Little Willie, who had fled from the racist apartheid regime of his homeland, had written a poem in which he said:

     "[This was] ...the last age of essays and poems, and that guns and rifles, would take there place, so therefore, we are the last poets of this age."

The members of the workshop concurred that they were figuratively these ‘last poets’ & though Little Willie left shortly after, the remainder became wordsmiths & hammered out the feelings of their people, eventually all oppressed people in the world, into the shape & scope of the struggle between despair & hope. In the beginning, The Last Poets consisted of Gylain Kain, Abiodun Oyewole, David Nelson, Felipe Luciano, Omar Bin Hassan (whom I have featured before), Jalal Nuriddin & Suleiman El-Hadi.

Due to conflicts in style & content, they performed in various combinations with each other, or not at all, until such time as a suitable cohesive lasting unit could knit together, in complementation as opposed to competition. So it was that Jalal & Suleiman emerged as rhyme partners honing their art form into a vehicle of total expression, which is today called rap & hip-hop. However, it had nothing to do with what those genres have become today. It was not about committing crimes & selling drugs or who had the biggest dick or gun. It was about striving to rise above the oppression that is stifling equality & perpetuating racism.

Jalal, under the name Lightnin’ Rod, released his first rap record Doriella du Fontaine in 1984. This is a fantastic studio jam session by Jimi Hendrix & Buddy Miles (of Band of Gypsys) recorded in 1969. Lighnin' Rod a few years later dubbed a cool rap over it with the help of Bill Laswell. I have included the title song here.

For 24 years Jalal & Suleiman developed their science of making sense out of non-sense until Suleiman passed away on October 3, 1995. They were the first rap group to be acclaimed by the music-loving public. They went on to sell a million records by word of mouth. But they were never acknowledged by the recording industry, who sold their records on the down-low, without the benefit of advertising or promotion or royalties to the artists.

Jalal's collaboration with Adrian Sherwood around 1993-5 came about through the Skip McDonald connection. McDonald had been one of the leaders of the Sugar Hill sound before crossing the pond & hooking up with Sherwood. Jalal, always somewhat of a critical & demanding performer, insured that the association with Sherwood was bound to be short-lived but that union lasted long enough for the Mankind 10" single (the first fours songs of the CD – "Trancendental Twins" appears only on this German CD release – both 1993) & On the One, a full length album (with original material other than all parts of "Shade of the Light" as "In the Shade of the Light" – recorded in 1995 & released the following year) had been committed to wax.

Many of Sherwood's key players are on board here to assist Jalal – vocals: Skip McDonald – guitar; Doug Wimbish – bass; & Style Scott - drums.

Jalal – Mankind EP, On-U Sound EFA 07480-09, 1993.

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Tracklist –
Mankind (Part 1)
Mankind (Part 2)
Shade of the Light (Part 1 & 2)
Shade of the Light (Part 3)
Transcendental Twins

Enjoy,
NØ

Listen to the Voice of Authority

 

It’s been a while since I posted anything from my favorite On-U Sound & Adrian Sherwood. Time to remedy that right now. Very Big in America Right Now is an Adrian Sherwood production & was originally intended for release as On-U LP35. It never saw release with On-U & was released in 1984 by Cherry Red.

 

From Cherry Red:
     "Dubbed the first in a series of Science Fiction Dancehall Classics, this was actually the last record released under our collaboration with Adrian Sherwood and On-U Sound. Released originally at a time when Adrian was working with such artists as Depeche Mode it still retains the On-U Sound dedication to charting new territory."

 

With just one album to their name, Voice of Authority were a passing phenomenon, but one where Adrian Sherwood continued to break new sonic ground. Voice of Authority was yet another of those non-bands whose names roamed the corridors of On-U HQ in the 1982-4 period in the same ilk as Playgroup & the unforgettable Missing Brazilians. These band names were more like working titles for particular collaborations of recording musicians in a world that insisted on hanging a name on any group of people who happen to release a record. 

 

The dub styling of On-U Sound in this period was one of taking the experimental nature of groups like New Age Steppers, then developing the sound one step further with quirky samples, distortion, electronic ditties, & sudden tape winds all lending their part to making an edgy but fresh listening experience. Listening to this album today, it still sounds as off-beat yet timeless as it did when it first came out. 

 

Here Voice of Authority is: Kishi Yamamoto – keyboards; Nick Plytas – keyboards; Evar Wellington – bass; Prisoner – drums; with Charles ‘Eskimo Fox’ Mus’come – drums on “Feeling Wild”, Shara Nelson – vocals on “In Another World”; Keith ‘Lizard’ Logan – vocals on “ Stopping & Starting” & Mark Stewart & a cast of others.

Voice of Authority – Very Big in America Right Now, Cherry Red BRED 62, 1984.

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Side One –

Short Intro/Knock the House Down
Very Big in America Right Now
Middle East Power Station
In Another World

Side Two –

Stopping & Starting
Technical Miracle
Slipped Disco
Grand Prix
Feeling Wild

Dubwise forever,
NØ

After the 'Flu...some Head Candy

Sorry for the absence here...Casa Nada temporarily felled for a while by influenza. 

 

I’ve featured bands from Iowa before (Iowa Comps I & II). Iowa has always been a fertile breeding ground for driving pop bands. Here’s the one & only album from the incredible Iowa quartet Head Candy. They played a heartlands-style medium/loud, complex guitar rock similar to Television or Dumptruck, kinda psychedelic in texture & lyrics.

Guitarists Mike Sangster & Doug Roberson came out of two other great Iowa units, the Hollowmen & the Dangtrippers respectively. Sangster's vocals veer radically between uneasy tension & mellow smoothness in such a way that Head Candy's songs portray both a world-weary callousness of songs like “Soul Grinder” & a vulnerable empathy of “In the Night Kitchen”. Starcaster also features an uncomplicated production comprised of grinding guitars & fuzzy vocals layered over a firm rhythm section. One of my choices is the William Gibson inspired cyberpunk "Mona Lisa Overdrive".

Heady Candy are: Mike Sangster – vocal, guitar, & tapes; Doug Roberson – guitar & tapes; Jim Vallet – bass; & Jim Viner – drums.

Head Candy – Starcaster, Link Records 1-61151-4, 1991.

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Side 1 –

Soul Grinder
In the Night Kitchen
At the Controls
Words to Live By
Part of the Earth
Watching the Suns Trail

Side 2 –

Sideways Laughing
Mona Lisa Overdrive
Rocket Transfer Warehouse
Invitation to a Beheading
Black Spirits & White
Starcaster

Enjoy,
NØ

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.
decryption code in comments

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