V/A Can You Dig It? The Music And Politics Of Black Action Films - Volume 2 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
Yes, we can dig it! Soul Jazz hits the jackpot once again with this completely amazing collection of songs from Blaxploitation films during the golden era of 1968-1975. There are a million reasons why this collection is so fucking great. But one critical way, in which this comp has become a defining collection of the sound and culture, is that most collections of Blaxploitation music up to this point only really focused on the camp and kitsch aspects of the movement, when really it was about so much more: true independence, total empowerment, bold political statements, reclamation of culture, off the hook fashion, and music with such real and deep soul, which provided the perfect soundtrack to these revolutionary films.
Can You Dig It? does a great job of mixing many amazing ultra obscure tracks some more well known jams, balancing the joy of discovery with the stone cold fact that no matter how many times you hear something from Curtis Mayfield's Superfly it always sounds so damn good. But of course this being Soul Jazz, they dig WAAAAAAY deeper, giving us truly stunning and burning tracks from the likes of Willie Hutch, Martha Reeves, Dennis Coffey, Solomon Burke & Gene Page, Don Julian, Johnny Pate, as well as tracks that somehow slipped under the radar from bigger name folks like James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes.
The sequencing and variety and richness in sound is so compelling and wonderfully varied. So often when this is playing for a while in the store people will ask "Is this still that comp?" and when we say yes they shake their heads in astonishment and usually have to get one right away. In fact right after the amazing Yo La Tengo instore performance last weekend, we put this on and all three members of the band at different times came up to us needing to know what it was and of course they bought one right away. Finally someone has done justice to the music of this movement and era, and our ears are in total heaven!
The double-cd version comes with an out-of-control informative and visually pleasing 100 page book as well as awesome postcards and stickers. The vinyl versions are split into two volumes and while it's awesome to have these songs on vinyl, the bummer is that the vinyl format doesn't come with the amazing 100 page booklet...
MPEG Stream: JAMES BROWN "Make It Good To Yourself"
MPEG Stream: GORDEN STAPLES "Strung Out"
MPEG Stream: EDWIN STARR "Easin' In"

V/A Can't Stop It! 2: Australian Post-Punk 1979-1984 (Chapter Music) cd 17.98
By the looks of the first two compilations that Chapter Music has released documenting the Australian post-punk scene, we (and probably a lot of other folks) could use a series history lessons into the finer points of Antipodean punk. Having unearthed two incendiary Primitive Calculators collections from that same time period, Chapter again strikes gold with a stunning collection of terminally obscure bands who were much more talented and intriguing than their lack of recognition might reflect. The only two bands that have even come across our radar are Severed Heads (but here with an incredibly primitive electronic sound and a female singer) and Microfilm (the amazing, Wire-esque dour post punk band fronted by Lisa Gerrand who later went on to form Dead Can Dance); but for everybody else, it's anybody's guess as to whatever became of them. Nonetheless, this comp confirms that the Australian take on post-punk agitation, no-wave convolutions and contortions, and new wave bleakness was as vibrant as what more well know scenes (i.e. New York, Berlin, London) had managed. As on the first comp (which featured a band called the Slugfuckers), volume 2 also sports a band with an incredible name: The Goat That Went "Om." Highly recommended
MPEG Stream: SYSTEMATICS "International Voltage"
MPEG Stream: SEVERED HEADS "Lamborghini"
MPEG Stream: MICROFILM "Centerfold"

V/A Can't Stop It!: Australian Post-Punk 1978-82 (Chapter) cd 14.98
This is a compilation of Australian post punk and new wave from 1978-82. While not nearly as rocking as the Do The Pop! compilation from a few lists back, this is still a pretty awesome collection. The stuff on this comp leans more towards the no wave, art rock side of the spectrum. Quirky, angular but still punk. There are a few dance-y numbers with badass female vocals that are at times reminiscent of the Slits or Kleenex/Lilliput and some more gritty lofi stuf that reminds us of the Adverts or the Undertones. All in all, a solid document of a time and place that seems like it was most likely totally amazing and inspiring. The perfect companion to the Do The Pop compilation. And if you like the current crop of no wave wonders like SF's Numbers or Erase Errata, you should definitely check this out. Oh yeah, and did we mention there's a band called the Slugfuckers... oh my god.
RealAudio clip: VOIGT 465 "Voices a Drama"
RealAudio clip: THE APARTMENTS "Help"
RealAudio clip: PRIMITIVE CALCULATORS "Pumping Ugly Muscle"
RealAudio clip: THE SLUGFUCKERS "Cacophony"
RealAudio clip: PEOPLE WITH CHAIRS UP THEIR NOSES "Song of the Sea"

V/A Carolina Funk: First in Funk: 1968-77 (Jazzman) cd 15.98
We know, we know... at this point you're probably as skeptical as we are of yet another compilation of ultra-rare, super heavy funk 45s from the dustiest corners of small-town USA, but believe us when we say that the crate diggers behind UK reissue label Jazzman have outdone themselves with this look at the undiscovered funk gems of North and South Carolina. You might recall how excited we here at aQ were about the Florida Funk compilation from last year and this installment is every bit as satisfying.
You'll hear a wide range of styles represented on this collection, from straight up deep funk to tracks that touch on psych, jazz and smooth soul -- 22 tracks in all of fuzzed out guitars, horn hits, break beats, flute solos, shouts, wails, and powerfully soulful vocals. However, where Jazzman really stands out from other reissue labels is in the meticulously assembled liner notes that accompany the record. You'll learn not only about the songs and artists themselves, but also information about the different parts of the Carolinas from which they came. It's a lovingly assembled package of songs, stories, background info, label scans and rare photographs on par with any of the reissue comps to come from Soul Jazz or Numero (and that's saying something!).
We've been spinning this one a lot in the store as of late, and it's been the perfect way to heat up these grey February days. So good!
MPEG Stream: SUNDIA "Stand Up And Be A Man"
MPEG Stream: MONGOOSE "King Cobra"
MPEG Stream: SHIRLEAN WILLIAMS & THE TEMPO'S BAND "Ease It To Me"

V/A Caroline Now! (Marina) cd 16.98
"The songs of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys" as interpreted by loads of folks, including Alex Chilton, Kim Fowley, Saint Etienne, The High Llamas, Eric Matthews, the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra, Jad Fair, The Aluminum Group, The Free Design, and many others more pointless to name here. The booklet's got an exclusive interview with Brian Wilson, as well. With 24 tracks by such a varied group of people, one can't expect total quality, but it's got moments.

V/A Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Combia And Descarga Sound Of Columbia 1962-72 (Soundway) cd 16.98
Once again Soundway continues to unearth amazing tracks from yet another overlooked international scene. This collection digs into the cumbia and descarga sounds out of Columbia in the '60s to early '70s that were being released on the Discos Fuentes label. Jose Maria 'Curro' Fuentes ran the label which would become Columbia's largest. In many ways he was like the Berry Gordy of Columbia, using his immaculate taste to curate an amazing roster of musicians. Sadly most of these artists never had their music heard or even released in other parts of the globe, so this release marks the first time most of these nineteen tracks have been released anywhere outside of Columbia. The raw recordings really serve the music so well as these aren't the kind of tracks you would want overproduced or with a shiny slick veneer. Instead the infectious rhythms within the songs emerge organically with such rich and warm grooves. With sunshine time hitting us in a big way the past week, this is becoming the perfect soundtrack to outdoor get togethers and rooftop afternoons. No denying how damn hot this is!
MPEG Stream: CANTINA Y SU COMBO "Santa Marta Cumbia"
MPEG Stream: CLODOMIRO MONTES Y EL SUPER COMBO CURRO "Puerto Rico Zumbando"
MPEG Stream: ORQUESTA SONORA CURRO "Patuleco"
MPEG Stream: ALEX ACOSTA Y SU ORQUESTA "Cumbia Del Monte"

V/A Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Combia And Descarga Sound Of Columbia 1962-72 (Soundway) 2lp 26.00
Once again Soundway continues to unearth amazing tracks from yet another overlooked international scene. This collection digs into the cumbia and descarga sounds out of Columbia in the '60s to early '70s that were being released on the Discos Fuentes label. Jose Maria 'Curro' Fuentes ran the label which would become Columbia's largest. In many ways he was like the Berry Gordy of Columbia, using his immaculate taste to curate an amazing roster of musicians. Sadly most of these artists never had their music heard or even released in other parts of the globe, so this release marks the first time most of these nineteen tracks have been released anywhere outside of Columbia. The raw recordings really serve the music so well as these aren't the kind of tracks you would want overproduced or with a shiny slick veneer. Instead the infectious rhythms within the songs emerge organically with such rich and warm grooves. With sunshine time hitting us in a big way the past week, this is becoming the perfect soundtrack to outdoor get togethers and rooftop afternoons. No denying how damn hot this is!
MPEG Stream: CANTINA Y SU COMBO "Santa Marta Cumbia"
MPEG Stream: CLODOMIRO MONTES Y EL SUPER COMBO CURRO "Puerto Rico Zumbando"
MPEG Stream: ORQUESTA SONORA CURRO "Patuleco"
MPEG Stream: ALEX ACOSTA Y SU ORQUESTA "Cumbia Del Monte"

V/A Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 (Matador) cd 11.98
We can sum up this new Matador release in about three words: pretty cool comp! And as you should guess from the subtitle (or maybe from the anagrammatic title itself), it's geographically centered on Austin, Texas, where it comes as no surprise they have a kick ass local music scene, and we're not talking country or blues or whatever, either. Expertly compiled by none other than former Matador head honcho Gerard Cosloy (who now lives in Austin), with liner notes by him too, these are simply some of his faves currently playing the divier bars and back yards of that town, the kids keeping their local indie rock / punk / pop scene(s) fresh and happenin'. There might be some next big things on here, certainly lots of folks proudly flying the flag for sounds heard first in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s, but forever young...
19 tracks, 19 bands, most of whom, what with us not being Austinites (Austiners? Austinians?), we hadn't heard of before (which is sort of the point of a comp like this, of course). Probably Woven Bones is the only one we knew of already, but now we've got a whole bunch of other bands to look out for. Here's the whole lineup for your perusal: Follow That Bird!, The Young, Woven Bones, Flesh Lights, Dikes Of Holland, Tre Orsi, The Distant Seconds, Kingdom Of Suicide Lovers, Elvis, Love Collector, Bad Sports, Wild America, Harlem, The Stuffies, The Golden Boys, The No No No Hopes, The Teeners, The Persimmons, and the Lost Controls. Not perhaps the best collection of band names ever (Follow That Bird!, really?), but it's the music that matters and Cosloy has certainly selected some quality tracks regardless of the dodginess of some of the names...
You'll have noticed that two Austin area bands who we recently hosted a dual instore appearance by, Silver Pines and Pure Ecstasy, don't happen to be on here, but it sure seems like they should be, definitely their shoegazey pop psych sensibilities are shared by several of the artists who did get included, though there's quite a variety of sounds here, some tracks grungier and grittier, others more poppy and polished, all of 'em pretty darn catchy in their own way. You'll find doses of distorted jangle with a hint of Spacemen 3 influence (several bands, including Woven Bones), plenty of punky garage rock and garagey punk rock (such as Flesh Lights' instantly classic sounding "Crush On You" and the even more punkish likes of The Teeners and their barely one minute long ragged blast "Nazis On Film"), some new wavey rhythmically synthed-out moments (from the Lost Controls, ferinstance)... all sorts of stuff really... and kudos to Cosloy (and the bands), no real duds! Quite the opposite, lots of picks that click. Check it out.
MPEG Stream: FOLLOW THAT BIRD! "The Ghosts That Wake You"
MPEG Stream: WOVEN BONES "Spirits Roam"
MPEG Stream: FLESH LIGHTS "Crush On You"
MPEG Stream: THE PERSIMMONS "The Notice"

V/A Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 (Matador) lp 16.98
We can sum up this new Matador release in about three words: pretty cool comp! And as you should guess from the subtitle (or maybe from the anagrammatic title itself), it's geographically centered on Austin, Texas, where it comes as no surprise they have a kick ass local music scene, and we're not talking country or blues or whatever, either. Expertly compiled by none other than former Matador head honcho Gerard Cosloy (who now lives in Austin), with liner notes by him too, these are simply some of his faves currently playing the divier bars and back yards of that town, the kids keeping their local indie rock / punk / pop scene(s) fresh and happenin'. There might be some next big things on here, certainly lots of folks proudly flying the flag for sounds heard first in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s, but forever young...
19 tracks, 19 bands, most of whom, what with us not being Austinites (Austiners? Austinians?), we hadn't heard of before (which is sort of the point of a comp like this, of course). Probably Woven Bones is the only one we knew of already, but now we've got a whole bunch of other bands to look out for. Here's the whole lineup for your perusal: Follow That Bird!, The Young, Woven Bones, Flesh Lights, Dikes Of Holland, Tre Orsi, The Distant Seconds, Kingdom Of Suicide Lovers, Elvis, Love Collector, Bad Sports, Wild America, Harlem, The Stuffies, The Golden Boys, The No No No Hopes, The Teeners, The Persimmons, and the Lost Controls. Not perhaps the best collection of band names ever (Follow That Bird!, really?), but it's the music that matters and Cosloy has certainly selected some quality tracks regardless of the dodginess of some of the names...
You'll have noticed that two Austin area bands who we recently hosted a dual instore appearance by, Silver Pines and Pure Ecstasy, don't happen to be on here, but it sure seems like they should be, definitely their shoegazey pop psych sensibilities are shared by several of the artists who did get included, though there's quite a variety of sounds here, some tracks grungier and grittier, others more poppy and polished, all of 'em pretty darn catchy in their own way. You'll find doses of distorted jangle with a hint of Spacemen 3 influence (several bands, including Woven Bones), plenty of punky garage rock and garagey punk rock (such as Flesh Lights' instantly classic sounding "Crush On You" and the even more punkish likes of The Teeners and their barely one minute long ragged blast "Nazis On Film"), some new wavey rhythmically synthed-out moments (from the Lost Controls, ferinstance)... all sorts of stuff really... and kudos to Cosloy (and the bands), no real duds! Quite the opposite, lots of picks that click. Check it out.
MPEG Stream: FOLLOW THAT BIRD! "The Ghosts That Wake You"
MPEG Stream: WOVEN BONES "Spirits Roam"
MPEG Stream: FLESH LIGHTS "Crush On You"
MPEG Stream: THE PERSIMMONS "The Notice"

V/A Cazumbi: African Sixties Garage Vol.1 (No Smoker) lp 33.00

V/A CCMIX: New Electroacoustic Music from Paris (Mode) 2cd 30.00
This collection documents a unique method of computer synthesis called UPIC that was developed by Greek avant-garde composer Iannis Xenakis in the late '70s. This system did not use the traditional method of having a keyboard hooked up to a computer. Instead, an electromagnetic pen which was used to "trace" the music from a digital drawing board into the processing unit. Marked by its sweeping curves and gestural movements through pre-programmed timbres and textures, the UPIC system piqued the curiousity of a number of academic composers like Brigitte Robindore, Takehito Shimazu, Jean-Claude Risset, Julio Estrada, Curtis Roads, Daniel Teruggi, Gerard Pape, and Nicola Cisternino, who furthered the research into this method of composition.
The majority of the composers closely follow Xenakis' approach -- a novel method that was also quicker means for Xenakis to compose electronic music along the lines of his legendary works "Bohor," "pH," and "Persepolis", full of sweeping drones of tense crackling electronic tones. Occasionally, these composers augment their electronic manipulations with traditional instruments with varied success: Jean-Claude Risset's duet for UPIC and saxophone is simply gimmicky, but Julio Estrada's full orchestra with UPIC works is as effective as any Luigi Nono composition.
RealAudio clip: IANNIS XENAKIS "Mycenae Alpha"
RealAudio clip: BRIGITTE ROBINDORE "L'Autel de la Perte et de la Transformation"
RealAudio clip: JULIO ESTRADA "Eua-On-Ome"

V/A Celebrities At Their Worst Vol.3 (Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God) 2cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Long awaited volume 3 of the best bloopers comps we've ever come across. This is again a double disc set (actually, cd-rs this time, for some reason). While there aren't as many high points as on the first and second volumes, this is still gonna make you laugh. Highlights include Kurt Cobain (the infamous, disturbing message the doped-up Kurt left on writer Lynn Hirshberg's machine), Roseanne singing her infamous rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, GG Allin, Ozzy talking about eating pussy (yeah, Ozzy at his worst, what a concept!), the entirety of one of Madonna's Letterman appearances (she says FUCK a lot, gasp!), GW Bush, the Rolling Stones, Howard Cosell, X-Files outtakes, etc.
RealAudio clip: "Roseanne"
RealAudio clip: "Clovers"

V/A Celebrities at Their Worst, Volume 2.9: Bitch Bitch Bitch! (Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While hearing celebrities make complete asses of themselves is always entertaining, the M.D.W.C.G.C.G. label is beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel of this genre on this cd, and we really can't say any of this is outstanding with the exception of Courtney Love, who has such a way with making an ass of herself. M.D.W.C.G.C.G. should really consider releasing a box set of the best of Courtney Love, if only to piss her off more. A notable runner up on this one is Roger Waters, who repeatedly stops in mid-song to complain about the audience whistling and or setting off fireworks during his set. Also on this disk: Joan Crawford, Mark Lindsay, Sharon Tate, Joe E. Ross, Angelyne, Florence Henderson, Melvin Belli, Porky Pig (Mel Blanc briefly spouts naughty words as the loveable cartoon pig), Peter Frampton, Mae West, Talullah Bankhead, Dr Nina Simone, Joanne Worley, Billy Crystal, and more.
RealAudio clip: COURTNEY LOVE "track 4"

V/A Celebrities... At Their Worst! (Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God) 2cd-r 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Completely hilarious bloopers will keep you in stitches. Andee keeps telling the story of how he had to listen to Joe from Souled American imitating the drunken John Wayne! Everyone from William Shatner to Elvis, Colonel Sanders, Tom Brokaw, Liz Taylor, Billie Holiday, The Beach Boys, Barry White, Casey Kasem (of course), Jack Palance, and more.

V/A Celebrities... at Their Worst, Volume 2 (Mad Deadly Worldwide Gangster Communist God) 2cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Guaranteed to be answering machine fodder for eternity, this is "2 1/2 more hours of bad acting, bad comedy, bad rock'n'roll, bad everything." Bloopers and profanity recorded but never ever meant for release, from 62 personalities including Barbra Streisand, Robin Williams, Stevie Nicks, Linda McCartney, Hank Williams Jr., Jim Morrison, Elton John, Tiny Tim, William Shatner, Brian Wilson, James Brown, Buddy Hackett, George Burns, Dean Martin, and the entirety of the out-of-print live Venom 7" put out by Ecstatic Peace, the one that was edited so that it consisted mainly of ridiculous between-song banter (if you can call comments like "Hell yeah!" banter).

V/A Central Africa: Banda Linda Horns (Buda Musique) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fans of that magnificent "Orgues A Bouche" mouth-organ music from Bangladesh cd might be interested in checking this disc out, as it features some pretty darn cool horn music polyphony from the Banda Linda people of the Central African Republic, who sort of do with their horns what the Bangladeshi musicians do with their reeds: repetitive, minimal drone-trance music, although this is perhaps a bit livelier and "danceable". The Banda Linda make their horns, some of them over 6 and a half feet long, from the trunks of kapok trees that have been hollowed out by termites. With upwards of twenty members to an ensemble (which consists mostly of kapok horn players who can only play one pitch, plus a few higher pitched antelope horn players capable of two pitches along with trills), the combined trumpeters mete out an eerie polyphony. Also included on this disk are several tracks by the Banda Linda of percussion ensemble music.
RealAudio clip: BANDA LINDA HORNS "Dangaye"

V/A Chains And Black Exhaust (Jones) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK! We thought these were gone for good a month ago, but we've just managed to get a few more!
Here's the soundtrack to your wildest blaxploitation-fueled fantasies, baadasssss R&B with an acid rock edge. You'll never need to ask, "Mommy, what's a funkadelic?" after this.
"Chains & Black Exhaust" is a compilation of late sixties/early seventies raw, fuzzed-out funk put together by some young, devotedly-crate-diggin' Memphis DJs, who apparently don't think we need to know what exactly we're listening too, 'cause there's no artist info, no track listing, nothing -- heck, the title of the comp appears nowhere on it, even! They give us a tantalizing but unhelpful glimpse of some original 45 labels in a photo in the cd booklet, which is otherwise illustrated with snapshots of black motorcycle club insignia. We can't imagine this lack of info is for copyright reasons, perhaps they just don't want their finds being identified & scooped by other DJs...? And unfortunately, none of us here, despite our enthusiasm for this stuff and general musical expertise, can tell you what's on here, nor did we locate a tracklist on the internet.
Oh well, whoever these mystery artists are, what's important is that they kick out the jams big time here: hard, heavy stuff full of wailing acid-psych wah wah leads, driving organ, killer grooves, and soulful vocals. It's funk verging on rock, with Black Power meets garagey rock n' roll attitude. Of course, these old singles tracks are served up with lots of lovely ol' vinyl crackle, just scratchy enough to lend that extra level of authenticity and atmosphere to the party. Highly recommended -- if you're into *early* Parliament-Funkadelic you'll dig these 16 cuts. This is one of those albums that just sells itself the second we put it on over the stereo -- even our pal DJ Z-Trip bought one instantly. Enjoyed that Peanut Butter Wolf-produced collection of unearthed funk singles? Then you'll love this one too. Right on.
We're told that *perhaps* someday this will get reissued with proper liner notes (the kind that actually tell you who is on the record at least) but that's at least a year or a year and a half off, if ever. So, we'd recommend grabbing these copies now, while you can, before they're gone, again...
RealAudio clip: BLACKROCK "Yeah Yeah"
RealAudio clip: BLACK MERDA "Cynthy Ruth"
RealAudio clip: UNKNOWN "Get High"

V/A Chamanes Et Possedes (Shamans and Possessed) (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
This compelling compilation brings together tracks from a bunch of different releases in Buda Musique's Musique Du Monde series to provide a global, pan-cultural perspective on traditional shamanic ritual music. Here you'd definitely find some wild and wonderful examples of musical expression made by and for shamans and other "possessed" persons from places as diverse as Indonesia, Iran, Siberia, Haiti, Vietnam, Ecuador, Guyana, and Brazil. From the always-incredible Cak chant of Bali to Voodoo frenzies, from the anti-suicide ceremony of a Siberian shaman to the hallucinogenically-enhanced mouth-bowing of an Amazonian healer, this is both some great listening and a fascinating reminder of the universal human desire to transcend this world and find strength and succor in what to some is a very real spiritual realm. Some of the selections demonstrate the communal, celebratory energy needed to make contact with spirits, while others seem to derive their power from the depth of feeling evident in a singer's solo performance. 11 tracks, 60 minutes, an excellent international "shaman-sampler" indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Siberia: Nganasan shamanic ritual"
MPEG Stream: "Ecuador: Shuar shamanic ritual (Jivaro)"

V/A Chamber Metal (Dwell) cd 15.98
Subtitled "Neo-Classical Metal Guitar". No doubt you've been hankering for a collection of Yngwie-style '80s metal guitar shred instrumentals, and the fact that there's almost no chance you've ever heard of anyone on this comp (they're ALL from the Czech Republic, something never adequately explained anywhere in the liner notes, although we'd have to guess this was originally released there) shouldn't keep you from enjoying the over-the-top chops on display. It's actually pretty cool, and if you don't already have a cd like this in your collection (you don't?) then what are you waiting for? If you missed the Guitar Godathon (and also, especially if you *didn't* miss it) then you need this!
RealAudio clip: JOSHUA CRAIG PODOLSKY "Sarabande"
RealAudio clip: MILOS "DODO" DOLEZAL "To Escape For Life"
RealAudio clip: ROMAN KROKUS KRIZ "Presto"

V/A Chef Aid: The South Park Album (American) cd 16.98
Well it looks like everybody wanted to be on this album, and lots of them are: Primus (with the theme song and more), Ozzy Osbourne/Old Dirty Bastard/DMX/Crystal Method, Wyclef Jean, Devo, Ween, Meat Loaf, Perry Farrel, Rick James, Elton John, and more...argh. Almost worth the 17 bucks though for "Come Sail Away" as sung by the show's Cartman. Several other tracks are pretty amazing too, actually, including the aforementioned Ozzy/Ol'Dirty etc. thing, the Chef's outrageous "Chocolate Salty Balls", and especially "Kenny's Dead", a remake of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" done No Limit style by Master P & crew--which basically makes unintended mockery of the entire gangsta rap genre. Ah, you can give it as a Christmas present to your favorite South Park fan.

V/A Cherrystones Hidden Charms (Family) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
DJ Garreth Goddard (aka Cherrystones) is back, having dug up another disc's worth of totally rad '60s/'70s psychedelic rarities. His previous compilation entitled Cherrystones Rocks was an excellent, eccentric collection of freaky fun mostly from bands we'd never encountered before. Cherrystones Hidden Charms focuses a bit more on funkier, groovier fare (psychefunk says the sticker on the front), and also delves into realms of obscurity unknown to us. Sure, you'll likely recognize names like Ennio Morricone and The Shadows and Shocking Blue and Cher (yes, Cher!) but what about Mashmakhan, Shadow Mann, Dynastie Crisis, Roosevelt Fountain (And The Pens Of Rhythm) and Bugsy?? Wow. He's been diggin' all right. And it's (almost) all killer, no filler. I mean, we've got our faves: the garagey fuzz mania of Die Anderen's "Neurotic Reaction" (which would also have fit nicely on Cherrystones Rocks) is a discovery worth the price of this disc alone, we think, and we're also partial to the surprising grunt of The Shadows' "Scotch On the Socks". And if you dig the genre of what might be termed "stripper music" you'll find a bunch of acid-burlesque treats on here as well! As with the first comp, Cherrystones/Goddard provides blurbs in the liner notes about each band which is always appreciated. Again, awesome.
MPEG Stream: ENNIO MORRICONE "Svolat Definitiva"
MPEG Stream: DIE ANDEREN "Neurotic Reaction"

V/A Cherrystones Rocks (Lo) cd 10.98
A very original, wonderfully varied collection of uber-rare international "psych and progressive gems" of the '60s and early '70s presented by Lo Recordings, who've always brought us the cool cutting edge modern electronica. Lo has previously also delved into the past for library music / acid funk compilations...now they go waaaay out with these bizarro rock tracks, picked by British hip hop DJ Garreth Goddard (who records as Cherrystones for the Twisted Nerve label). Obscure artists on here indeed -- we had previously only heard Brazil's Rita Lee (of Os Mutantes) and Detroit R&B hard rockers Frijid Pink (with "Crying Shame", one of their best songs). Garreth's obsessive crate-digging has paid dividends here, making this the kind of comp you've got to get 'cause you'll never find these records OR reissues. It's all groovy, psychedelic, crazed stuff. Some other names: Taiconderoga, Black Cat Bones, Klaus Doldinger, Niagara, Breakout, Mecki Mark Men, Sunbirds, The Mogol, and more. Veering from free-jazz inspired horn soloing to heavy fuzz guitar riffs to spoken beat poetry, the stuff on here is all over the place yet is freaky, funky, fried fun that really seems to belong together -- kudos to the DJ. Awesome.
RealAudio clip: PUGH "Love, Love, Love"
RealAudio clip: FRIJID PINK "Crying Shame"
RealAudio clip: ROLF AND JOACHIM KUHN AND THE MAD ROCKERS "Funny Bird"

V/A Cherrystones Rocks (Lo) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A very original, wonderfully varied collection of uber-rare international "psych and progressive gems" of the '60s and early '70s presented by Lo Recordings, who've always brought us the cool cutting edge modern electronica. Lo has previously also delved into the past for library music / acid funk compilations...now they go waaaay out with these bizarro rock tracks, picked by British hip hop DJ Garreth Goddard (who records as Cherrystones for the Twisted Nerve label). Obscure artists on here indeed -- we had previously only heard Brazil's Rita Lee (of Os Mutantes) and Detroit R&B hard rockers Frijid Pink (with "Crying Shame", one of their best songs). Garreth's obsessive crate-digging has paid dividends here, making this the kind of comp you've got to get 'cause you'll never find these records OR reissues. It's all groovy, psychedelic, crazed stuff. Some other names: Taiconderoga, Black Cat Bones, Klaus Doldinger, Niagara, Breakout, Mecki Mark Men, Sunbirds, The Mogol, and more. Veering from free-jazz inspired horn soloing to heavy fuzz guitar riffs to spoken beat poetry, the stuff on here is all over the place yet is freaky, funky, fried fun that really seems to belong together -- kudos to the DJ. Awesome.

V/A Cherrystones Word (Tlon Uqbar) cd 10.98
Hey, here's the third killer compilation we've had from British 'digger and DJ Cherrystones (aka Garreth Goddard)! Cherrystones Rocks and Cherrystones Hidden Charms were both excellent, eclectic collections of groovy '60s/'70s international psych-rock surprises, and Cherrystones Word continues the tradition, complete with his customary detailed notes on each track included in the cd booklet. This one though seems somehow darker and more deviant, with a wider, weirder range, from '60s pop-psych to '70s krautrock to '80s garage-rock. It's definitely not necessarily a floor-filling DJ mix, more like what we'd imagine a random shuffle through Garreth's iPod playlist of fuzzy freakiness might turn up. The overall theme seems just to be cool and obscure, with an unexpected quotient of experimental prog and even queasy, off-kilter New Waviness included in the mix. Here's the run-down: Brainbox (featuring the hyper-Hendrixy guitar of Jan Akkerman, later of Focus fame), Dead Moon, George Brigman and Split, The Deviants, Chrome, Nosferatu, Fusioon, Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgue (a cover of The Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself"), Kontakt Mikrofoon Orkest, Midnight Circus (not the Messthetics one), Pan y Regaliz, Episode 6, Bintangs, George Romanos, and Lard Free. Who would put the exquisite, flute-laden Spanish psych sadness of Pan y Regaliz on the same comp with notorious sci-fi guitar punks Chrome? Or think that Dead Moon's urgent garage punker "Dead Moon Night" should go on the same disc with the slow and sinister sax-laced heaviness of "Warinobaril" by French freak proggers Lard Free? Or clue us into the R&B side of The Deviants, while also introducing us to the percolating quirk-funk of Spain's synthy Fusioon? Well Cherrystones would. Word!
MPEG Stream: BRAINBOX "Amsterdam, The First Days"
MPEG Stream: FUSIOON "Farsa Del Buen Vivir"
MPEG Stream: PAN Y REGALIZ "Dead Of Love"

V/A Chicago Soul (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Soul Jazz are really the king of comps now, and this latest is another excellent entry in their catalog, subtitled "Electric Blues, Funk & Soul: The New Sound Of Chicago In The 1960s". Everything here was originally released on Chess -- presumably you've heard of Chess Records, the Chicago "black music" label that was home to Muddy Waters, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley and others... You hear from all of those big names here, but also other '60s greats of lesser fame (Dorothy Ashby, The Stereos, Phil Upchurch, Eve Barnum, The Soulful Strings, etc.). That decade was an exciting time for music everywhere of course but Chess was one of the it labels, releasing tons of now classic electric blues, urban jazz, soulful singers, and even some psychedelic r&b. Packaged in a slipcover with a big ol' book of text and photos for your edification, whilst yr ears enjoy the Chicago soul sounds.
MPEG Stream: THE STEREOS "Stereo Freeze"
MPEG Stream: ROTARY CONNECTION "Memory Band"
MPEG Stream: FONTELLA BASS "Leave It In The Hands Of Love"

V/A Chicago Soul (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Soul Jazz are really the king of comps now, and this latest is another excellent entry in their catalog, subtitled "Electric Blues, Funk & Soul: The New Sound Of Chicago In The 1960s". Everything here was originally released on Chess -- presumably you've heard of Chess Records, the Chicago "black music" label that was home to Muddy Waters, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley and others... You hear from all of those big names here, but also other '60s greats of lesser fame (Dorothy Ashby, The Stereos, Phil Upchurch, Eve Barnum, The Soulful Strings, etc.). That decade was an exciting time for music everywhere of course but Chess was one of the it labels, releasing tons of now classic electric blues, urban jazz, soulful singers, and even some psychedelic r&b. Packaged in a slipcover with a big ol' book of text and photos for your edification, whilst yr ears enjoy the Chicago soul sounds.
MPEG Stream: THE STEREOS "Stereo Freeze"
MPEG Stream: ROTARY CONNECTION "Memory Band"
MPEG Stream: FONTELLA BASS "Leave It In The Hands Of Love"

V/A Chicas! Spanish Female Singers 1962-1974 (Vampisoul) cd 17.98
The French weren't the only ones creating irresistible "French Pop" in the '60s and '70s. A whole lot of amazing sassy effervescent pop was being created in Spanish speaking countries like Mexico and Spain (although there it was of course actually called Spanish Pop, but we digress), and this compilation digs out the amazing ladies responsible for these party starting Spanish Pop gems, that fans of French Pop sounds are gonna love. We had no idea who folks like Pili Y Mili, Sonia, Gelu, or Lorella were, but damn now we know they were responsible for some of the most saucy and addictive songs to come out during this amazing era for bright sunshiney pop. These ladies are like the Spanish equivalents of France Gal, Lulu, and Mina... Nancy Sinatra, too, for that matter. These are the kind of tunes you put on and everything around you starts looking a lot better, and a bad mood becomes practically impossible. If you've loved the Pop A Paris comps or the awesome Sensacional Soul collection that Vampisoul released a few years back, this will definitely hit the spot too. This is as fun and colorful as pop music gets. Makes us wanna get all tipsy on sangria and margaritas and dance the night away.
MPEG Stream: LOS QUE VIVIMOS "Contrapunto"
MPEG Stream: LOS STOP "Extiende Tus Brazos"
MPEG Stream: ENCARNITA POLO "Hava Naguila"
MPEG Stream: TANIA VELIA "Los Pepinillos"

V/A Chicas! Spanish Female Singers 1962-1974 (Vampisoul) 2lp 28.00
The French weren't the only ones creating irresistible "French Pop" in the '60s and '70s. A whole lot of amazing sassy effervescent pop was being created in Spanish speaking countries like Mexico and Spain (although there it was of course actually called Spanish Pop, but we digress), and this compilation digs out the amazing ladies responsible for these party starting Spanish Pop gems, that fans of French Pop sounds are gonna love. We had no idea who folks like Pili Y Mili, Sonia, Gelu, or Lorella were, but damn now we know they were responsible for some of the most saucy and addictive songs to come out during this amazing era for bright sunshiney pop. These ladies are like the Spanish equivalents of France Gal, Lulu, and Mina... Nancy Sinatra, too, for that matter. These are the kind of tunes you put on and everything around you starts looking a lot better, and a bad mood becomes practically impossible. If you've loved the Pop A Paris comps or the awesome Sensacional Soul collection that Vampisoul released a few years back, this will definitely hit the spot too. This is as fun and colorful as pop music gets. Makes us wanna get all tipsy on sangria and margaritas and dance the night away.
MPEG Stream: LOS QUE VIVIMOS "Contrapunto"
MPEG Stream: LOS STOP "Extiende Tus Brazos"
MPEG Stream: ENCARNITA POLO "Hava Naguila"
MPEG Stream: TANIA VELIA "Los Pepinillos"

V/A Chihuahuas And Chinese Noodles (555) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Present and future 555 artists remix one another, featuring tracks by Hood, Third Eye Foundation, The Remote Viewer, Empress, Kid 606, Tin Foil Star and much more.

V/A Chiky(u)u (Ash) cd 14.98
Electronic soundscapes from a host of Japanese experimenters, including noise-names Aube and MSBR, although much of the sound tends towards the ambient and interesting, rather than the harsh. The theme is sounds from the earth, whether that be stones, seismic activity, contact-mic'd streams, or Akira Yamamichi's "sand dust limestone cave dead mine crystal frequency magnetic field". Excellent comp! (This is the first in a series, with European and American artists to appear in future installents.)

V/A Childish Music (Staubgold) cd 15.98
Is there something in the air lately beside sneeze-inducing pollen? Suddenly children's albums are popping up from all over the map, including this one which was compiled by Ekkehard Ehlers. However with the exception of the burbly sounds on the first track by Fan Club Orchestra and oddly enough Devendra Banhart's contribution, the very sing-song-y, handclap-y "Make It Easier", there's really not much that seems truly engaging for children. C'mon folks, using elfin effected vocals and sounds resembling those of a musicbox or from a toybox isn't really enough to categorize something in this genre! And actually we think kids might lose interest and get bored pretty quickly with it. Soooo, maybe we should just approach this compilation as a neat assortment of 25 gentle, relaxing tracks by an impressive bunch of international artists including Nobukazu Takemura, Asa-Chang & Junray, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Anna Laplantine, Dr. Rockit, World Standard, F.S. Blumm, and Oren Ambarchi. Hmmm, much more appealing for the full grown kids, don't you think? Maybe it should've been titled Parentish Music.
MPEG Stream: FAN CLUB ORCHESTRA "Mika Bubble Sing"
MPEG Stream: ASA-CHANG & JUNRAY "Kobana"

V/A Children Of Nuggets (Rhino) 4cd 73.00
The first two Nuggets box sets have become pretty much legendary, absolutely essential for ANY music lover. And rightfully so. The popularity of the music in the first two Nuggets boxes is often attributed to Greg Shaw, who wrote a magazine (Who Put The Bomp) that then became the Bomp! record label and who later ran the Voxx label and who was almost soley responsible for the popularization of sixties style garage rock in the US and thus was essential in spreading the gospel on the musics we now hold near and dear: mod, psychedelic, British R&B, freakbeat, twee-pop, American garage rock, you name it. But what hath those Nuggets wrought? Well, of course the Children Of Nuggets, a selection of neo-garage, eighties power pop, paisley underground psych and all the other microgenres spawned by all that groovy and funky sixties psychedelic rock. Completely amazing collection of bands you already love, bands you thought you didn't like but are actually pretty fucking great and bands you have never heard of but if you had you would definitely love them: The Dukes of Stratosphear, Lyres, Bangles, Barracudas, Flamin Groovies, Hoodoo Gurus, the Posies, The Rain Parade, the dB's, Revillos, Plimsouls, Sun Dial, Screaming Trees, The Chills, The Last, The Mummies, The La's, Green Telescope, Dream Syndicate, Untamed Youth, The Milkshakes, The Droogs, the Swingin' Neckbreakers, Teenage Fanclub, The Church, Julian Cope, The Cynics, Green On Red, United States Of Existence, Plasticland, The Lime Spiders, The Pandoras and so many more!
Includes a massive book, with liner notes, photos and extensive notes on each and every track!
MPEG Stream: THE DUKES OF THE STRATOSPHEAR "Vanishing Girl"
MPEG Stream: FLAMIN' GROOVIES "I Can't Hide"
MPEG Stream: THE PANDORAS "It's About Time"
MPEG Stream: THE SWINGIN' NECKBREAKERS "I Live For Buzz"
MPEG Stream: THE HOODOO GURUS "I Want You Back"
MPEG Stream: SALVATION ARMY "She Turns To Flowers"

V/A Children's Music For Adults Volume 1 (Daft Alliance) cd 13.98
Hey all you grown-up kiddies, the nice folks at Daft Alliance don't want you to feel left out! Joining the other fine child-oriented releases that have come through our door recently is this Children's Music For Adults Volume 1 compilation. And despite the title, we can report that there's plenty on it for most age groups and attention spans. From the get-go, it's a lively listen. The most obvious appeal is not that these songs were 'made for children', but that many of them were playfully created with the sounds from a child's world (toys, tv shows, etc). It ends up becoming a name-that-toy puzzle of sorts! That said, it is definitely more than a one-time-listen novelty. Most tracks are thoroughly engaging and amusing, but the fifth and seventh songs are particular stand-outs. They're Bad Dudes' "Dawn of the Dudes" and hey willpower's "Janet and Aggie" respectively, seeming very inspired by the nuttier spastic moments of Mr. Bungle. The Bay Area-centric compilation also features tracks from Concentrick (Tim Green of the Fucking Champs), Open City, Sarge, M. Kourie, Comainu, Bookmobile, Final Cut To, Hell Hound (on my trail), Circadia and three from Tomo! If you like what you hear, keep in mind that this is just the beginning -- the first of a three volume series.
MPEG Stream: BAD DUDES "Dawn Of The Dudes"
MPEG Stream: HEY WILLPOWER "Janet And Aggie"

V/A Chill Out (Sabotage) cd 16.98
Wolf-positive "remix" compilation of The KLF's "Chill Out" album. Artists such as Aube, Bannlust, Fennesz, Ryoji Ikeda, Alois Huber and others all take their best shots. One stand-out track is Panacea's "Demolition Desaster" which is perhaps his most extreme piece to date, if you can imagine that...

V/A China: Lost Sounds of the Tao: Chinese Masters Of The Guqin In Historic Recordings (World Arbiter) cd 14.98
This longtime AQ favorite is finally available again!
Recorded in 1970 and '71 at his countryside home outside of Hong Kong, the elderly (but spry) Lo Ka Ping will captivate you here with his performances on the qin, a type of ancient Chinese seven-stringed zither with a soft, subdued sound. Confucius' favorite instrument, the sound and style of the qin in the hands of Lo Ka Ping really evokes both Buddhist music and the blues. In his sparse, soulful performance on these ten tracks (four of Ping's own composition and six traditional numbers) you'll hear echoes of the the likes of Son House and Blind Willie Johnson - you could almost imagine this is a lost backporch recording by an unknown gospelish slide guitarist, playing a mysterious, alien blues. Parallels to Indian classical music can be heard as well, to which there is a link to the qin tradition in fact as well as in spirit.
This cd is rounded out with a couple of older, crustier recordings circa 1946-48 by two other "Chinese Masters of the Guqin", Zheng Yingsun and Xu Yuan Bay, who alongside Lo Ka Ping make this a lovely, raw, spiritually resonant document indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Teals Descending On Level Sand"
MPEG Stream: "Meditaion In The Dead Of Night"

V/A Chine: Hommage a Chen Zhong (Ocora) cd 16.98

V/A Chinese Whispers (Sprawl) cd 16.98
Kind of like a game of extended global telephone, and featuring the talents of Mike Paradinas (aka Uziq), Bedouin Ascent, T Power, Sons of Silence, etc., this cd is the result of one artist sampling a Stereolab track and then sending the resulting mix to another artist, who similarly remixed it and sent the result to yet another remixer. Get it? Oh, and when Stereolab got back the track they remixed it once more for good measure, then put all the tracks into chronological order on one cd. Very drum'n'bass.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 4 (PCP) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the three first volumes, "Chocolate Soup for Diabetics" Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Perishers, Gary Walker, The Peasants among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good. The highlights on vol. 4, for me, are the fuzzy fucked up version of 'You Don't Love Me' by Gary Walker, and 'How Does It Feel' by The Perishers.
RealAudio clip: THE PERISHERS "How Does It Feel"
RealAudio clip: GARY WALKER "You Don't Love Me"

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 4 (PCP) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the three first volumes, "Chocolate Soup for Diabetics" Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Perishers, Gary Walker, The Peasants among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good. The highlights on vol. 4, for me, are the fuzzy fucked up version of 'You Don't Love Me' by Gary Walker, and 'How Does It Feel' by The Perishers.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 5 (PCP) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the first three volumes, Chocolate Soup for Diabetics Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Ways and Means, The Magic Lanterns among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good.
RealAudio clip: MAGIC LANTERNS "I Stumbled"
RealAudio clip: THE TRANSATLANTICS "Don't Fight It"
RealAudio clip: THE WAYS AND MEANS "Breaking Up A Dream"

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 5 (PCP) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the first three volumes, Chocolate Soup for Diabetics Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Ways and Means, The Magic Lanterns among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Volume 1 (Relics) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Chocolate Soup For Diabetics is a series of compilations with a bunch of unknown psych / garage bands probably from the States... if any of these bands "made it" they would have ended up on the Nuggets box. But they didn't, so they're here. On this volume, the groups are The Voice, The Nuchez's, Tintern Abbey, One In A Million, The Misunderstood, Dantalian's Chariot, The Flies, The Fire, The Fresh Windows, Apple, and The Unexplained.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Volume 2 (Relics) lp 12.98
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The second volume in the series of compilations entitled "Chocolate Soup For Diabetics." Again more '60s psych / garage bands with more of a UK Big Beat feel (early Kinks, Yardbirds, etc.). Again super limited. This line-up packs the most punch in the series with a selection of almost unknowns in Mike Stuart Span, Wimple Winch, Fleur De Lys, Craig, Apple, The Score, Winston's Fumbs, Him & The Others, Big Boy Pete, The Hush, The Tickle, Syn, State of Mickey & Tommy, and Paper Blitz Tissue.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Volume 3 (Relics) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The third volume from the "Chocolate Soup For Diabetics" psych / beat series concentrates on the UK sound from the mid-'60s. Of the three, this one is the most soulful and has the dodgiest 'mastering' which is quite noticeably riddled with surface noise, indicating that this was clearly mastered from vinyl... Anyway, volume 3's got tracks from The Accent, Felius Andromedia, Fleur De Lys, Graded Grains, Chapter Four, The Game, The Factory, Wimple Winch, Australian Playboys, The Poets, and The Smoke.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics: 82 UK Psych Classics (Past & Present) 5cd 62.00
Psych reissues are a dime a dozen these days, no matter how you classify or organize the songs and groups, specific certain years, a particular sound, or scene, or whatever, there's no way to spin it, there's just too too too much. And plenty of those tracks, well, like lots of reissues, could very well have just remained undiscovered. It takes more than just cramming a bunch of tracks on a record and putting some cool psychedelic artwork on the front, it requires knowledge of the music, as well as a knack for making mixes. Some folks definitely have it. Andy Votel obviously, and of course Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond, who has been releasing killer reissue comps on the Psychic Circle label. And there's whoever put together these Chocolate Soup For Diabetics comps, which gathered up some of the coolest UK psych rock from the sixties, originally released only on lp, now finally available all gathered up into a single 5cd box. And holy shit, no matter how tired of this stuff you might be, if you're anything like us, this stuff will immediately get you excited again. Fuzzy, tripped out, super rocking, jangly, space-y and most definitely PSYCHEDELIC. A few bands we already dug like Tintern Abbey, The Misunderstood and Wimple Winch, but so many new (old) discoveries: The Voice, Nuchez's, The Fresh Windows, The Fire, Graded Grains, Felius Andromeda, The Syn, The Tickle, Dantalian's Chariot, odds are the psych obsessives out there are probably a bit more well versed in UK psych obscurities, but for the rest of us, this stuff is blowing us away.
Take the first track on the first disc, "The Train To Disaster" by The Voice, after a purloined sample of Arthur Brown's "God Of Hellfire" intro, the track explodes into a fuzzy, super distorted stomp, that sounds ridiculously heavy for the time, hooky and fuzzed out, catchy like crazy, and those guitars! Raw and fiery and fuzzy and bad ass. The next track by the weirdly named Nuchez's, begins all jangly, but quickly builds momentum, some proggy organ wrapped around the guitar chug, some moody crooning, woozy guitars, and then some awesomely distorted fuzzpsych leads, and the song is transformed into something that sounds more like the Monks. We could go track by track for sure, but you probably get the picture. 5 discs, 5+ hours of super rocking, fuzzy psychedelic garage rock bliss, from jangly and trippy to crunchy and heavy, we just can't stop listening to this stuff. Wow.
Comes in a nice full color box, each one machine numbered (LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES), each disc in it's own full color sleeve, and includes a massive booklet with tons of photos and liner notes...
MPEG Stream: THE VOICE "The Train To Disaster"
MPEG Stream: TINTERN ABBEY "Vacuum Cleaner"
MPEG Stream: THE MISUNDERSTOOD "Children Of The Sun"
MPEG Stream: DANTALIAN'S CHARIOT "The Madman Running Through The Fields"

V/A Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Sounds From Iraq (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
RE-pressed and BACK in STOCK! Just when you thought you'd heard everything, in comes Sublime Frequencies to fill in the gaps you never thought existed. How many CDs of Iraqi pop do you have in your collection? Until now we certainly didn't have any, let alone anything remotely traditional from Iraq. For a country that's so important to our war mongering presidential administration it's perhaps a little surprising that more interest hasn't been piqued about the culture of Iraq. But then again, everyone but W seems to understand that the real reasons for plundering this nation wasn't to "liberate" anyone. In fact, W would probably rather that no one even pay attention to any of this music, which has the awkward fortune to have been produced almost entirely (with the exception of three early 70's tracks) during the reign of Saddam Hussein and his Baathist regime ( tracks here range from 1980 on up to 2002!). In spite of his -- well deserved -- reputation as a cruel dictator, he was also an avid supporter of both education and the arts -- such are the complexities of life W would rather not acknowledge -- and for better or worse, kept the fabricated nation state as stable as it has ever been. Hussein promoted secular arts and music, starting cultural centers for both, and even dubbed singers the "eighth division" of the armed forces (his nation had seven military divisions) -- not to paint too rosy a picture of Donald Rumsfeld's former pal and business partner, who was also a sadistic tyrant after all. Compiled by Mark Gergis (I Remember Syria, Molam, Cambodian Cassette Archives), Choubi Choubi is a collection years in the making. Gergis scoured the earth for the source material on this disc, travelling through Syria, Europe and the Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan. The anthology starts off with a folk rock track from '70s Socialist singer Ja'afar Hassan, a song that could easily compete with the best psych tracks on Hava Narghile or Turkish Delights for the crown of Middle Eastern psych champ. But if you're expecting another psych compilation, you're going to be disappointed as Choubi Choubi is much more than that, way more. Most of the recordings on the album have no western instruments on them, nor hardly any western influence. These tracks rock out much harder with no electric instruments, but with huge string sections, pounding drums, and monstrous oud playing. Maybe it's also the super bluesy sounding (to the western ear) melodies, it's no wonder that it sounds so fresh and familiar to us. It really is weird, when I (Byram) first listened to this record I could have sworn there were more songs with electric guitars on it, but there aren't that many. It just sounds so fucking heavy, and rocks so hard that I remembered it as being a "rock" record. Really, really, really fucking great!
MPEG Stream: UNKNOWN "Ahl Al Aqil"
MPEG Stream: BAWIN "Ya Binaya Goumi"
MPEG Stream: SADUN JABIR "Ashhad Biannak Hilou"

V/A Chrome Children (Stones Throw) lp 16.98

V/A Chronologi (12K / Instinct) 2cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Chronologi" is a self-congratulatory compilation from the Brooklyn experimental / electronica label 12K, celebrating their first four years of operation. 12K is run by Taylor Deupree, who is in many ways the American doppleganger of Carsten Nicolai and 12k is the American version of his Raster-Noton collective. Both artists' labels specialize in positioning ultra-minimalist clicks and stark-white absenses within a highly-reducted technotic skeleton; however, Deurpee's 12K is guilty of being party to the current oversaturation of electronic music compilations. The majority of the work found on "Chronologi" culled from the older out of print albums from 12K, feature tracks from Human Mesh Dance, Arc, Drum Komputer, Taylor Deupree, *0, Shuttle 3358, 0/R, Kim Cascone, Komet, Deurpee with Richard Chartier, and Deupree with Tetsu Inoue. This compilation is no better or no worse than the Mille Plateaux compilations "Modulations and Transformations" or "Clicks and Cuts," and just like those compilations "Cronologi" offers more of an overview than any insight into the incredible subtleties of this growing field of electronica.

V/A CIA Via UFO To Mercury (Atavistic) cd 13.98
Compilation of live tracks by Chicago's finest purveyors of what they're still calling "No Wave" or something: The Scissor Girls, Quintron, The Flying Luttenbachers, etc. Originally a very limited edition lp, now made available on cd for those who missed out the first time.

V/A Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs Of Mark Mulcahy (Shout Factory) cd 15.98
It may not be super obvious from the aQ website, but we've long been champions of Mark Mulcahy, whose band Miracle Legion was and is an all time favorite. All of the Miracle Legion records went out of print long before the aQ list, so we never got a chance to gush adoringly. We also became a bit obsessed with Mulcahy's post Miracle Legion outfit Polaris, who performed the bad ass themes song to the late great kids show Pete And Pete. We have however, highlighted at least two of Mulcahy's solo records, the last of which, In Pursuit Of Your Happiness, still gets played all the time. And features some utterly perfect pop, emotional, clever, jangly and so so catchy.
Apparently we're not alone, judging from this star studded comp, a tribute not just to the amazing songs of Mulcahy, but to his late wife, who passed away last year. The outpouring of musical emotion and support is truly moving, and the redone versions are uniformly fantastic, with some fairly faithful renditions, and some seriously out there takes.
This record is getting TONS of press, mostly due to the inclusion of a Thom Yorke track, and it is great, skittery rhythms, distorted electric guitar, super strange percussion, and some super intense emotional vocals, kind of like a more punk rock, lo-fi take on one of his Eraser tracks. Well worth the price of admission for sure. But that's just the first track. Other bands taking on Mulcahy's genius originals include The National, Dinosaur Jr, Frank Black, Vic Chesnutt, Rocket From The Tombs (whose version is SO twisted, but so great!), Michael Stipe, Mercury Rev, Juliana Hatfield, and on and on. It plays out like a killer classic nineties college rock mix, anchored by Mulcahy's awesome songs. Hopefully it'll get the world to finally discover what an amazing and way under appreciated songwriter Mulcahy really is, and just maybe it'll convince someone somewhere to get all of those Miracle Legion records reissued!
The only bummer about this release is that there's another 20+ songs, not on the cd proper, only available electronically (from iTunes), which is ironic, since Miracle Legion and Mulcahy on his own were embraced by indie record stores first and foremost, who sort of get the shaft as do fans who if they want all of the songs have to shell out another $20 for the bonus tracks, but the download only tracks include jams from AC Newman, Buffalo Tom, Dumptruck, Syd Straw, Laura Veirs, and others. They should have just made it a double cd, but what can you do, worth it either way, and if you like what you hear, you'll probably end up trying to track down every Mulcahy thing ever, and rightfully so...
MPEG Stream: THOM YORKE "All For The Best"
MPEG Stream: DINOSAUR JR "The Backyard"
MPEG Stream: VIC CHESNUTT "Little Man"
MPEG Stream: ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS "In Pursuit Of Your Happiness"