KIRBY, LEYLAND Memories Live Longer Than Dreams: Part Three (History Always Favours The Winners) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The third and final volume of this sprawling 6lp (two lps in each volume) drone haze ambient masterpiece from the man behind the Caretaker, and V/VM! All three 2lps have been compiled onto a triple cd, this week's Record Of The Week, but for vinyl folks, who have the first two, grab part three while you can...
For a couple of years now, Leyland James Kirby has been releasing a highly acclaimed catalog of maudlin ambient recordings culled from melodic phrases looped and blurred from old 78s. The bulk of these recordings (typically released under the Caretaker moniker) didn't seem to leave England or at least they didn't arrive in California. Now that the distribution has improved, we've finally been able to hear what the fuss has been all about. This album belongs to a trilogy called Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was that Kirby has made now that he finds himself living under the grey skies of Berlin having relocated from grey skied Manchester; lo and behold, he's still making cold, rainy grey music for cold, rainy days. And yeah, he's pretty damn good at it.
Like the other two double LP sets, Memories Live Longer Than Dreams eschews titles (even this title is nowhere to be found on the LPs artwork!) and doesn't even give us any information what so ever on the artwork, a paint-smeared canvas. It works as an endless loop of flipping the two records, forgetting which track you've drifted in and out of, and wondering where to start next. These pieces of blurred ambience, obfuscated field recordings, and sad piano melodies hint at the furniture music of Erik Satie, the mood engineering of Angelo Badalamenti, and the emotional resonance of William Basinski. Limited to 450 copies, these will not last.

KIRBY, LEYLAND Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was (History Always Favours The Winners) 3cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It had to be an aQ Record Of The Week. Nearly four hours of warbly and washed out ambient beauty spread out over 3 cds (and 6 lps!), from the man behind the looped and warped ambient jazz minimalism of The Caretaker and the electronic fuckery of V/VM. We've been listing/reviewing the vinyl versions as they were released, part one: When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die, part two: When Did Our Dreams And Futures Drift So Far Apart, and part three: Memories Live Longer Than Dreams (elsewhere on this week's list). We would have made the vinyl ROTW too, but we thought it was a lot to ask, 6 lps, nearly $80, so we held off, for THIS. A gorgeous compact collection of all 6 lps on 3 discs, in super minimal sleeves, gathered in an equally minimal and mysterious slipcover, printed to look like an old wooden crate. The art and the sound are all inexorably linked. The music of Kirby is mournful and mysterious, melancholy and otherworldly, everything shot through with a certain degree of sadness. Check the song titles: "When We Parted, My Heart Wanted To Die", "The Beauty Of The Impending Tragedy Of My Existence", "And As I Sat Beside You I Felt The Great Sadness That Day", "Tonight Is The Last Night Of The World", and the sounds those words represent, impart the same sense of heartbreak and loneliness, the music feels grey, like looking through a rain speckled dust coated window, at an old abandoned lot, the metal rusted, broken swingsets, collapsing barns, dead grass, mud and old pieces of wood, artifacts of a happier time, all reflecting the blackened sky above. But somehow, this isn't miserable music, it manages to be warm, and thick, and rich, and deceptively simple, lots of layers constantly shifting. It's definitely dronemusic, but not minimal or static, these sounds are alive, record crackle, buried voices, old record, warped instrumentation, sounds are looped and stretched and inverted, tied into knots and then pulled slowly and delicately apart. Fans of Philip Jeck, and Tim Hecker, and William Basinski, this is another gorgeously decayed artifact to add to your collection, evoking many of the same emotions as those like minded soundscapers, yet, the music of Leyland Kirby manages to sound unlike any of them.
This is the perfect soundtrack for introspection, for long nights, candlelight, grey days, windswept storm drenched hillsides, for drifting off, for huddling up with another and sharing warmth, dark, delicate and so beautiful. An incredible, sprawling collection of blurred ambience, obfuscated field recordings, and sad piano melodies hint at the furniture music of Erik Satie, the mood engineering of Angelo Badalamenti, and the emotional resonance of Basinski's Disintegration Loops.
While technically the vinyl wasn't Record Of The Week, it essentially has been, for a couple months now, just delivered in installments, each one a mysterious missive from some otherworld, those who have been keeping up, no doubt understand, and are surely already utterly and inexorably tangled up in Kirby's magical and mournful world of sound, but for the rest of you, who have yet to delve, to climb through, to step beyond, to lose yourself completely. Now is the time, and the message is clear, Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was...
MPEG Stream: "I"
MPEG Stream: "III"
MPEG Stream: "IV"

KIRBY, LEYLAND Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was (History Always Favours The Winners) 6lp 52.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
All three 2lp releases, bundled together with a printed obi, cheaper than buying them all separately, but so limited it's already sold out.

KIRBY, LEYLAND When Did Our Dreams And Futures Drift So Far Apart: Part Two (History Always Favours The Winners) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volume two of this sprawling 6lp (two lps in each volume) drone haze ambient masterpiece from the man behind the Caretaker, and V/VM!
For a couple of years now, Leyland James Kirby has been releasing a highly acclaimed catalog of maudlin ambient recordings culled from melodic phrases looped and blurred from old 78s. The bulk of these recordings (typically released under the Caretaker moniker) didn't seem to leave England or at least they didn't arrive in California. Now that the distribution has improved, we've finally been able to hear what the fuss has been all about. This double lp is the second in a trilogy called Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was, and finds Kirby now living under the grey skies of Berlin having relocated from grey skied Manchester; lo and behold, he's still making cold, rainy grey music for cold, rainy days. And yeah, he's pretty damn good at it.
Like the first volume, When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die, Memories Live Longer Than Dreams also eschews titles and doesn't even give us any information what so ever on the artwork, a paint-smeared canvas. It works as an endless loop of flipping the two records, forgetting which track you've drifted in and out of, and wondering where to start next. These pieces of blurred ambience, obfuscated field recordings, and sad piano melodies hint at the furniture music of Erik Satie, the mood engineering of Angelo Badalamenti, and the emotional resonance of William Basinski. Limited to 450 copies, these will not last. However, there's now a 3cd set containing the whole vinyl trilogy.

KIRBY, LEYLAND When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die: Part One (History Always Favours The Winners) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For a couple of years now, Leyland James Kirby has been releasing a highly acclaimed catalog of maudlin ambient recordings culled from melodic phrases looped and blurred from old 78s. The bulk of these recordings (typically released under the Caretaker moniker) didn't seem to leave England or at least they didn't arrive in California. Now that the distribution has improved, we've finally been able to hear what the fuss has been all about. This album belongs to a trilogy called Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was that Kirby has made now that he finds himself living under the grey skies of Berlin having relocated from grey skied Manchester; lo and behold, he's still making cold, rainy grey music for cold, rainy days. And yeah, he's pretty damn good at it.
As a piece of vinyl, When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die eschews titles and doesn't even give us any information what so ever on the artwork, a paint-smeared canvas. It works as an endless loop of flipping the two records, forgetting which track you've drifted in and out of, and wondering where to start next. These pieces of blurred ambience, obfuscated field recordings, and sad piano melodies hint at the furniture music of Erik Satie, the mood engineering of Angelo Badalamenti, and the emotional resonance of William Basinski. Limited to 450 copies, these will not last. However, there's now a 3cd set containing the whole vinyl trilogy.

KIRBY, LEYLAND When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die: Part One (History Always Favours The Winners) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For a couple of years now, Leyland James Kirby has been releasing a highly acclaimed catalog of maudlin ambient recordings culled from melodic phrases looped and blurred from old 78s. The bulk of these recordings (typically released under the Caretaker moniker) didn't seem to leave England or at least they didn't arrive in California. Now that the distribution has improved, we've finally been able to hear what the fuss has been all about. This album belongs to a trilogy called Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was that Kirby has made now that he finds himself living under the grey skies of Berlin having relocated from grey skied Manchester; lo and behold, he's still making cold, rainy grey music for cold, rainy days. And yeah, he's pretty damn good at it.
As a piece of vinyl, When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die eschews titles and doesn't even give us any information what so ever on the artwork, a paint-smeared canvas. It works as an endless loop of flipping the two records, forgetting which track you've drifted in and out of, and wondering where to start next. These pieces of blurred ambience, obfuscated field recordings, and sad piano melodies hint at the furniture music of Erik Satie, the mood engineering of Angelo Badalamenti, and the emotional resonance of William Basinski. Limited to 450 copies, these will not last. However, there's now a 3cd set containing the whole vinyl trilogy.

KIRCHIN, BASIL Abominable Dr. Phibes (Perseverance Records) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There's been quite a resurgence in folks' interest in the career and records of Basil Kirchin of late. Not sure if it's his inclusion on Nurse With Wound's legendary list of influences, or just more access to lost recordings, but we're pleased as punch either way. Kirchin was not JUST a legendary outsider producer of obscure musical madness -- like most of us he had to pay the bills. Not many of us are lucky enough to pay the bills by scoring one of the greatest 'horror' films ever, The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Unlike the insanity of his legendary Quantum record reviewed a few months back, Kirchin pretty much plays it straight here. Well, as straight as a mad musical genius can. From creepy pipe organ overtures, to dreamy, flute-flecked fantasy ambience, to grand sweeping cinematic epics, with pizzicatto strings and soaring strings to minor key spine tingling creep-outs. Fans of his more obscure recordings won't find the weirdness they may have been expecting, but fans of Morricone, Barry, Nicolai and their ilk will be quite pleased. Extensive liner notes detail the convoluted history of the film and the soundtrack.
MPEG Stream: "War March Of The Priests"
MPEG Stream: "Dr. Phibes Waltz / Cage Full Of Bats"
MPEG Stream: "Vulnavia"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Abstractions of the Industrial North (Trunk) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another weird and wonderful installment in the fascinating and varied history of this lost musical visionary. Many of you avant garde types will no doubt recognize Kirchin's name from the infamous Nurse With Wound list of favorite and influential experimental recordings. But over the last few years, UK label Trunk has been releasing more and more lost bits of Kirchin's wild musical past and so far it's all been totally fascinating and compelling listening. Abstractions opens with eleven tracks, the Abstractions of the Industrial North recording proper. Dreamy and pastoral, cinematic and light and airy. Quite lovely and not even remotely avant garde or freaked out. Things get weirder with the nine bonus tracks, all cues from rare musical library ten inch records. Freaked out, acid tinged prog, mixed with groovy Euro soundtrack music, horns and organs, chimes and vibes, bombastic percussion and psych rock guitars all woven into what could be the clost soundtrack to the coolest spy thriller you've never seen. Smooth and groovy, with just enough weird stuff going on to keep it interesting. Pay close attention to track 18, "Pageing Sullivan", a burbling, psychedelic soundtrack jaunt through India via Paris, or something, but on the guitar you'll find a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page! And as always, super informative and interesting liner notes!
MPEG Stream: "Prelude And Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "Heart Of The North"
MPEG Stream: "The Observer"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Charcoal Sketches / States Of Mind (Trunk) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If this keeps up Basil Kirchin could become the underground avant garde Tupac. The only problem is that Kirchin is still alive. After years of complete silence and a series of recording either impossible to find and hear or unreleased, seems that the floodgates have opened and reissue after reissue come tuumbling forth. We're not complaining though, as everything we've heard so far has been pretty amazing. For those of you new to Kirchin, this composer / arranger / musician, is probably best known in underground circles for being namechecked on that legendary Nurse With Wound list that came with their first record. This here cd is not a reissue, rather the first time these two mini albums have ever been released. The first three tracks, or 'Sketches' consist of rough ideas and works in progress that Kirchin composed and recorded before his legendary Quantum record (reviewed on the AQ list last year). These sketches are jazzy and dreamy, meldoic and almost traditional sounding, EXCEPT for the fact that the tinkling pianos and muted trumpets are competeting with a wild panoply of exotic bird calls, chirping and cheeping and occasionally shrieking. The second half of this disc, States Of Mind, is an unreleased soundtrack to a documentary about mental illness and features Evan Parker making one of his first appearances with his new 'free' style. Which is perfectly suited to the music. Dark and creepy, atonal and confusional, haunting and cinematic, swirling backdrops of manic piano, rumbling bass, and swirling horns with Parker's sax skronking atop it all. Really curious liner notes too, describing song by song, the different mental ailments related by the music. Weird.
MPEG Stream: "Sketch 1"
MPEG Stream: "Plaques And Tangles"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Charcoal Sketches / States Of Mind (Trunk) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If this keeps up Basil Kirchin could become the underground avant garde Tupac. The only problem is that Kirchin is still alive. After years of complete silence and a series of recording either impossible to find and hear or unreleased, seems that the floodgates have opened and reissue after reissue come tuumbling forth. We're not complaining though, as everything we've heard so far has been pretty amazing. For those of you new to Kirchin, this composer / arranger / musician, is probably best known in underground circles for being namechecked on that legendary Nurse With Wound list that came with their first record. This here cd is not a reissue, rather the first time these two mini albums have ever been released. The first three tracks, or 'Sketches' consist of rough ideas and works in progress that Kirchin composed and recorded before his legendary Quantum record (reviewed on the AQ list last year). These sketches are jazzy and dreamy, meldoic and almost traditional sounding, EXCEPT for the fact that the tinkling pianos and muted trumpets are competeting with a wild panoply of exotic bird calls, chirping and cheeping and occasionally shrieking. The second half of this disc, States Of Mind, is an unreleased soundtrack to a documentary about mental illness and features Evan Parker making one of his first appearances with his new 'free' style. Which is perfectly suited to the music. Dark and creepy, atonal and confusional, haunting and cinematic, swirling backdrops of manic piano, rumbling bass, and swirling horns with Parker's sax skronking atop it all. Really curious liner notes too, describing song by song, the different mental ailments related by the music. Weird.
MPEG Stream: "Sketch 1"
MPEG Stream: "Plaques And Tangles"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Particles (Trunk) cd 16.98
The late great Basil Kirchin's final work, that was years in the making, is not always an easy listen. Finally realized after years of working with what he called "particles" of music (some recorded as early as the sixties) while his body was riddled with cancer, it's difficult to separate what is happening in the music from what was happening with the man. Book-ended by spirited pastoral compositions of the British jazz variety that we are accustomed to, most of the body of Particles falls into the realm of the atonally challenging. He even calls the main suite, "The Atonals". Even so, it would be unfair to casually dismiss this. One needs to understand Kirchin's process, a laborious attention to recording, editing and filtering that works through primarily conceptual guidelines rather than compositional ones. For instance, "The Atonals", subtitled, "The Secret Conversations Between Instruments", began as recordings of between-session banter with the musicians without their knowledge they were being recorded. Then these hours of tapes were edited into snippets of conversation until each had a clear line of its own, orchestrated together with other lines, then run through a series of processes that remove the words and the voice sounds and are replaced with sounds of instruments that fit closest to the original "voice". It may take a few listens to Particles to unleash its power, but it's a fitting and uncompromised finale of one of the most innovative experimental composers of our time.
MPEG Stream: "Tzuris Oy Vey"
MPEG Stream: "The Die Is Cast"
MPEG Stream: "E+Me"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Particles (Trunk) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The late great Basil Kirchin's final work, that was years in the making, is not always an easy listen. Finally realized after years of working with what he called "particles" of music (some recorded as early as the sixties) while his body was riddled with cancer, it's difficult to separate what is happening in the music from what was happening with the man. Book-ended by spirited pastoral compositions of the British jazz variety that we are accustomed to, most of the body of Particles falls into the realm of the atonally challenging. He even calls the main suite, "The Atonals". Even so, it would be unfair to casually dismiss this. One needs to understand Kirchin's process, a laborious attention to recording, editing and filtering that works through primarily conceptual guidelines rather than compositional ones. For instance, "The Atonals", subtitled, "The Secret Conversations Between Instruments", began as recordings of between-session banter with the musicians without their knowledge they were being recorded. Then these hours of tapes were edited into snippets of conversation until each had a clear line of its own, orchestrated together with other lines, then run through a series of processes that remove the words and the voice sounds and are replaced with sounds of instruments that fit closest to the original "voice". It may take a few listens to Particles to unleash its power, but it's a fitting and uncompromised finale of one of the most innovative experimental composers of our time.
MPEG Stream: "Tzuris Oy Vey"
MPEG Stream: "The Die Is Cast"
MPEG Stream: "E+Me"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Primitive London (OST) (Trunk) cd 16.98
Trunk Records comes through again with still more wonderful unheard sonic mysteries from the seemingly more prolific than anyone thought Basil Kirchin. So far we've been treated to various soundtracks, lots of library music, sonic sketches, so here's another piece of the Kirchin puzzle, an unreleased score for an infamous 1965 British exploitation film concerning death, birth, beatniks and wife swapping, and judging from the booklet, quite a bit of nudity, not to mention reenactments of the Jack The Ripper murders, sweaty men in saunas, topless ladies, and apparently "the infamous chicken scene". Hmmm... Guess we'll just have to let the music to the talking, and oh it does, swinging sixties jazz, laced with haunting Theremins, marimba melodies, moody smokey ballads, hazy, warbly ambience, the sounds groovy, funky, fuzzy, jazzy, creepy, bits of whirring organ drone butted up against soaring strings, mysterious ominous low end thrum blossoming into almost Joe Meek-ish sounding processed/looped ambience, long drawn out high end shimmer, Eastern sounding buzz and drone and drift that definitely sounds ahead of its time, so incredible, hard to believe this stuff has been hidden away until now.
And if that weren't enough, included as a bonus is the soundtrack to the film The Freelance, a 1971 gangland thriller starring Ian McShane, featuring a funky very seventies sounding score, heavy on the jazz, the free jazz especially, with some surprisingly abstract out there freakouts, that have us dying to see the sights that go with these sounds!
As with most Trunk releases, lots of pix, and plenty of interesting/informative/humorous liner notes.
MPEG Stream: "Primitive London 1"
MPEG Stream: "Primitive London 2"
MPEG Stream: "Primitive London 4"
MPEG Stream: "The Freelance - Abstract Jazz 1"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Primitive London (OST) (Trunk) lp 17.98
Trunk Records comes through again with still more wonderful unheard sonic mysteries from the seemingly more prolific than anyone thought Basil Kirchin. So far we've been treated to various soundtracks, lots of library music, sonic sketches, so here's another piece of the Kirchin puzzle, an unreleased score for an infamous 1965 British exploitation film concerning death, birth, beatniks and wife swapping, and judging from the booklet, quite a bit of nudity, not to mention reenactments of the Jack The Ripper murders, sweaty men in saunas, topless ladies, and apparently "the infamous chicken scene". Hmmm... Guess we'll just have to let the music to the talking, and oh it does, swinging sixties jazz, laced with haunting Theremins, marimba melodies, moody smokey ballads, hazy, warbly ambience, the sounds groovy, funky, fuzzy, jazzy, creepy, bits of whirring organ drone butted up against soaring strings, mysterious ominous low end thrum blossoming into almost Joe Meek-ish sounding processed/looped ambience, long drawn out high end shimmer, Eastern sounding buzz and drone and drift that definitely sounds ahead of its time, so incredible, hard to believe this stuff has been hidden away until now.
And if that weren't enough, included as a bonus is the soundtrack to the film The Freelance, a 1971 gangland thriller starring Ian McShane, featuring a funky very seventies sounding score, heavy on the jazz, the free jazz especially, with some surprisingly abstract out there freakouts, that have us dying to see the sights that go with these sounds!
As with most Trunk releases, lots of pix, and plenty of interesting/informative/humorous liner notes.
MPEG Stream: "Primitive London 1"
MPEG Stream: "Primitive London 2"
MPEG Stream: "Primitive London 4"
MPEG Stream: "The Freelance - Abstract Jazz 1"

KIRCHIN, BASIL Quantum (Trunk) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Apparently, Basil Kirchin is a highly regarded, even legendary composer in some circles. Not surprising we hadn't heard of him as his only two recordings were released in 1971 and 1973 and disappeared without a trace. Some of you may recognise the name as it can be found on that legendary Nurse With Wound list of influences, and it doesn't take more than a few minutes of Quantum to see why. This recording, also from 1973, has never been released until now and is a pretty wild ride. Perplexing but quite amazing. Buzzing synth tones weave a warm and warbly melody while sweet female vocals, soaked in reverb, emote atop them (think Bjork mixed with Brigitte Fontaine), sputtering free jazz (courtesy of Evan Parker) lurches wildly over a swirling sonic miasma of industrial clatter, found sounds, voices and birds chirping, rumbling drones, strings and xylophones, roaring lions, creaking and scraped strings and grand tonal swells. And that's just part one! Part two starts off with the moaning, hysterical vocals of an old woman (his wife) mixed with the random voices of autistic children, before a regal trumpet call sounds out over a swirl of hissing white noise and turns into a nursery rhyme rhythm played by a calliope and accompanied by what sounds like a very simple jazz combo. Eventually the voices return, over a writhing bed of screeching free jazz, intensifying, and lending the proceedings a truly terrifying and disturbed vibe. The rest of part two skips schizophrenically from atonal modern classical, to Bjorkish ballads, to haunting dronescapes, to mad jazz-splatter, to Namtchylak-ish wild vocalisations. Gorgeous and haunting and WAY OUT. Hard to believe this was recorded 30 years ago. And hard to believe he's remained a secret for so long. But according to the liner notes, this is just the first in a series of Kirchin reissues. Can't wait!
MPEG Stream: "Quantum - Part One - Once Upon A Time (excerpt)"

KIRITCHENKO, ANDREY Stuffed With/Out (Nexsound) cd 11.98
The Ukraine has an incredibly vibrant underground music scene. From the black metal side of the spectrum, Drudkh, Hate Forest, Nokturnal Mortum, Dub Buk, Astrofaes, Lucifugum all the way over to the abstract minimalist free noise side of things, most notably The Moglass, but also Andrey Kiritchenko, who runs the amazing Nexsound label, and also creates some beautiful music himself.
Using guitars, field recordings and a bit of processing, Kiritchenko conjures up a fuzzy world of haunting reverberations, dense swarms of metallic buzzings, mysterious harmonica like wheezes, and a a swirling spacey ambience. You can't help but hear Fennesz, Ambarchi, and other avant guitarscapers, as well as folks like Tim Hecker and Phillip Jeck, with all the fuzz soft focus murk and dreamlike abstraction. But there's something very particular about Kiritchenko's sound, it is always obviously a guitar. The steel strings are the centerpiece of each track, sometimes the buzzing strings get pulled apart into weird wisps of sound, other times it's the background that skitters and loops, stretches out and gradually darkens, while the guitar continues to strum above the swirling morass. A gorgeous and modern, dark foresty folk, an otherworldly take on classic Appalachia. Fahey left to wander through some ancient Ukrainian forest, the results fed into a computer and allowed to spill out, a glitchy expanse of steel strings and skittery buzz, swirls of rich deep ambient flutter, while within little ripples of steel string shimmer slowly spread out, way in the distance bursts of malfunctioning digital melody race across the horizon like clouds in those time lapse nature films, while just underneath lies a soft and serene bed of lilting acoustic guitar and a world of glistening iridescence.
Absolutely amazing packaging. The disc is visible through die cut circles, each one slightly bigger than the one before it, each panel of the brown card stock digipak adorned with dense tangles of abstract text and fuzzy indistinct animal shapes. So cool.
MPEG Stream: "Time Travel Of A Snail"
MPEG Stream: "A Rabbit Makes Her Dreams Come True"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Blacknuss (Collectables) cd 13.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, I'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orater, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So kudos to Collectables for reissuing 7 essential and timeless Kirk masterpieces. Some terrible design ideas though: the cheesy Collectables logo, HUGE ADS taking up whole pages in the cd booklets, and the 'Collectables Jazz Classics' tag line pasted everywhere over the original art, making them look like those bargain collections you find at truckstops or drugstores. But it's all about the music right....
This legendary record originally released in 1972 features one of Kirk's most moving tunes ever, his sorrowful take on Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine", complete with soaring minor key strings and Kirk growling the lyrics through his flute! Mostly covers, this finds Kirk straddling the line between overt sentimentality, and more of that party/boppy/get-up-and-dance-dammit vibe. While some of the tunes here are tepid and sort of straight ahead, there are moments where Kirk slays, the aforementioned "Ain't No Sunshine", the testifying gospel tinged "Blacknuss", and an unlikely cover of Bread's "Make It With You"??
RealAudio clip: "Ain't No Sunshine"
RealAudio clip: "Make It With You"
RealAudio clip: "Blacknuss"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Blacknuss (Atlantic) lp 12.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, We'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orator, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird maybe? But we know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the discerning AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So big ups to whoever is responsible for this Kirk vinyl reissue campaign, the latest entry being his legendary Blacknuss record, originally released in 1972, which just so happens to include one of Kirk's most moving tunes ever, his sorrowful take on Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine", complete with soaring minor key strings and Kirk growling the lyrics through his flute! Mostly covers, this finds Kirk straddling the line between overt sentimentality, and more of that party/boppy/get-up-and-dance-dammit vibe. While some of the tunes here are bit straight ahead, there are moments where Kirk slays, the aforementioned "Ain't No Sunshine", the testifying gospel tinged "Blacknuss", and an unlikely cover of Bread's "Make It With You"?? Awesome.

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Brotherman In The Fatherland - Recorded "Live" In Germany, 1972 (Hyena) cd 15.98
As we may have mentioned in a review or two or five, RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK IS GOD!! We love us our Coltrane's and Ayler's and Sun Ra's sure, but Kirk holds a very special place in our heart. He's the ultimate outsider jazzbo, like the Moondog of jazz, blind since birth, later paralyzed from a stroke, could play sax, flute, you name it, eventually he even had to begin inventing his own instruments, often played three horns at once, an actual one man band, dressed in rags and carried around a huge wheeled staff with various musical instruments duct taped to it, was shunned for being a novelty act, live would spend half the set telling stories, interacting with the audience, playing back stuff he had recorded on his portable tape player, whooping, shouting, singing -- this man was possessed by jazz and exuded utter and absolute joy when he was playing. And the music reflected that, a dizzying mix of traditional and free, a complete disregard for genre, embracing bop, soul, gospel, whatever.
We can never get enough, and we're always excited when a new live record sees the light of day, because live, in front of an audience is where Kirk reigned supreme. This live set was recorded in Germany in 1972 and is a seriously aggressive, fiery and free set. Really intense and super kick ass. Kirk does his usual, depending on the track wielding the sax, the flute, the nose flute, the manzello, the stritch or the clarinet, sometimes more than one at a time. Not a whole lot of between song banter, but the songs speak volumes. A killer mix of Kirk classics, standards and some unlikely covers including a killer version of Bread's "Make It With You".
Really funny and bitter liner notes from long time Kirk confidante Joel Dorn, relaying a conversation between Dorn and his partner, talking shit about Dorn's always amusing liner notes, and how after years of ranting about Kirk's brilliance, he decided to just fuck the serious liner notes, since it isn't liner notes that would convince someone to dig Kirk, it's the music. And the music on Brotherman In The Fatherland should be enough to convince anyone.
MPEG Stream: "Intro / Like Sonny"
MPEG Stream: "Make It With You"
MPEG Stream: "Rahsaan's Spirit"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND In Europe 1962-1967 (Impro-Jazz) dvd 34.00

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Left And Right (Collectables) cd 13.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, I'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orater, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So kudos to Collectables for reissuing 7 essential and timeless Kirk masterpieces. Some terrible design ideas though: the cheesy Collectables logo, HUGE ADS taking up whole pages in the cd booklets, and the 'Collectables Jazz Classics' tag line pasted everywhere over the original art, making them look like those bargain collections you find at truckstops or drugstores. But it's all about the music right....
Left And Right (from 1969) starts off with a bizarre intro for bouncy cinematic string section and a ranting Roland Kirk as well as sound effects (breaking glass etc...).The record stays pretty far out with Expansions, the 20 minute, 9 part epic, sounding equal parts swinging sixties soundtrack, Morricone score, jazzy funereal dirge, and shrieking grandiose epic! The strings play a huge part on the rest of the record, fleshing out and gussying up some smooth dreamy, late night jazz workouts into gorgeous cinematic melancholia.
RealAudio clip: "Black Mystery Has Been Revealed"
RealAudio clip: "Expansions"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Left And Right (Atlantic) lp 14.98
One of our favorite records, from one of our favorite jazz LEGENDS, gets the deluxe 180 gram vinyl reissue treatment, and like always when it comes to Roland Kirk, before we can even talk about the record, we need to talk about THE MAN:
Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orator, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber)!!! So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment...
Left And Right (from 1969) starts off with a bizarre intro for bouncy cinematic string section and a ranting Roland Kirk as well as sound effects (breaking glass etc...). The record stays pretty far out with "Expansions", the 20 minute, 9 part epic, sounding equal parts swinging sixties soundtrack, Morricone score, jazzy funereal dirge, and shrieking grandiose epic! The strings play a huge part on the rest of the record, fleshing out and gussying up some smooth dreamy, late night jazz workouts into gorgeous cinematic melancholia.
MPEG Stream: "Black Mystery Has Been Revealed"
MPEG Stream: "Expansions"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Other Folks' Music (Collectables) cd 13.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, I'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orater, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So kudos to Collectables for reissuing 7 essential and timeless Kirk masterpieces. Some terrible design ideas though: the cheesy Collectables logo, HUGE ADS taking up whole pages in the cd booklets, and the 'Collectables Jazz Classics' tag line pasted everywhere over the original art, making them look like those bargain collections you find at truckstops or drugstores. But it's all about the music right....
Other Folks' Music (from 1976) starts out years ahead of its time, with a fuzzy distorted tape recording (think Godspeed) that slowly turns into a creepy crawly harmonica flecked scene setter worthy of any Morricone/Leone western. Worth it for that track alone. The rest of the record ranges from dreamy late night cocktail jazz, to really hard bop, to almost loungy exotica to timeless/classic Kirk nu-bop.
RealAudio clip: "Water For Robeson And Williams"
RealAudio clip: "Donna Lee"
RealAudio clip: "Samba"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle (Collectables) cd 13.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, I'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orater, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So kudos to Collectables for reissuing 7 essential and timeless Kirk masterpieces. Some terrible design ideas though: the cheesy Collectables logo, HUGE ADS taking up whole pages in the cd booklets, and the 'Collectables Jazz Classics' tag line pasted everywhere over the original art, making them look like those bargain collections you find at truckstops or drugstores. But it's all about the music right....
1973's Prepare Thyself... album found Kirk mixing bop with cinematic soundscapes, bizarre vocalisations, bells and chimes and tribal percussion. The opening track is another barnstormer, totaly menacing and haunting, percussive and hypnotic. Why he was never hit up to score movies I'll never understand. The 10 minute Seasons was my introduction to Roland Kirk, although the version I first heard was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival documented on the live release Eye Aye I. A tripped out tribal intro gives way to summery fluttery flute improvisations. But the real attraction here is an epic 21 minute free jazz workout called "Saxophone Concerto", complete with ranting female testifying, Kirk and band swinging from bop to swing and bopping from swing to bop, often in the same passage. But the focal point is Kirk's endless, breathless, tenor sax, wailing and squealing and screeching for 20 minutes, until any normal man would have passed out. Or dropped dead.
MPEG Stream: "Salvation And Reminiscing"
MPEG Stream: "Seasons"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle (Atlantic) lp 12.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, we'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans have never seemed able to get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orator, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But we know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber)!!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. And so it is again with the amazing, nay miraculous, Prepare Thyself... album from 1973, which found Kirk mixing bop with cinematic soundscapes, bizarre vocalisations, bells and chimes and tribal percussion. The opening track is a total barnstormer, totally menacing and haunting, percussive and hypnotic. Why he was never hit up to score movies we'll never understand. The 10 minute "Seasons" was our introduction to Roland Kirk, although the version we first heard was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival documented on the live release Eye Aye I. A tripped out tribal intro gives way to summery fluttery flute improvisations. But the real attraction here is an epic 21 minute free jazz workout called "Saxophone Concerto", complete with ranting female testifying, Kirk and band swinging from bop to swing and bopping from swing to bop, often in the same passage. But the focal point is Kirk's endless, breathless, tenor sax, wailing and squealing and screeching for 20 minutes, until any normal man would have passed out. Or dropped dead.
MPEG Stream: "Salvation And Reminiscing"
MPEG Stream: "Seasons"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Simmer, Reduce, Garnish, & Serve (Warner Archives) cd 12.98
A wonderful reissue.

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND The Case Of The 3 Sided Dream In Audio Color (Collectables) cd 13.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, I'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orater, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So kudos to Collectables for reissuing 7 essential and timeless Kirk masterpieces. Some terrible design ideas though: the cheesy Collectables logo, HUGE ADS taking up whole pages in the cd booklets, and the 'Collectables Jazz Classics' tag line pasted everywhere over the original art, making them look like those bargain collections you find at truckstops or drugstores. But it's all about the music right....
The main attraction here is the bizarre interludes between almost all of the songs. Whether it's a voice from beyond commanding Kirk to sleep, and Kirk explaining why he can no longer dream, to thundering horse hooves, ping pong, sampled TV music, strange ambient interludes, that same voice from beyond commanding Kirk to wake up and Kirk ranting right back, and then a 13 minute 'Side Four' featuring 10 minutes of silence, then all sorts of conversation, tape recorded howls, etc.... The actual music here (recorded in 1975) is classic Kirk, but with the unlikely inclusion of some surprisingly hard funk!!
RealAudio clip: "Conversation"
RealAudio clip: "Echoes Of Primitive Ohio & Chili Dogs"
RealAudio clip: "Freaks For The Festival"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND The Inflated Tear / Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata (Collectables) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "The Inflated Tear"
MPEG Stream: "The Black And Crazy Blues"
MPEG Stream: "A Laugh For Rory"
MPEG Stream: "Many Blessings"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND The Man Who Cried Fire (Hyena) cd 12.98
Yet another in the long overdue series of reissues from the legendary and under appreciated Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Not only an amazing player, but also as bit a character and as completely nuts as Mingus, Sun Ra or any other jazz greats you can think of. Best Kirk anecdote ever:
"In the late 60s we were in the studio getting ready to mix one of his albums, He wouldn't let me start working with the tapes until I could 'do it like me'. I didn't know what he meant. He told me to sit down and close my eyes. He got behind the chair and started to wrap my head, mummy style, with masking tape, from the neck up. Enough room was left for me to breathe. When Rahsaan was convinced that I couldn't see, he held a gun to my head and said 'I just want you to know how I feel all the time'."
The liner notes have more amazing stories from Joel Dorn long time producer / pal to Kirk as well as tons of cool Kirk quotes. Not sure if this was ever an actual release, seems more like a collection of random tidbits, but it has everything: Kirk on clarinet (rarely recorded), saxophone, manzello, stritch, Kirk talking/joking with the audience (even does a dead on Miles Davis impersonation), slow smoldering blues, wild live shows with Kirk on clarinet and tenor (also a rarity), playing two and three horns at once...it's all great. Really fun to hear how wild and excited the crowd gets, whooping and hollering. Like being at a revival meeting! If you're new to Kirk, this is as good a place as any to start. And most of it's unreleased so even if you got it all, you need this. RRK is GOD!
RealAudio clip: "Bye Bye Blackbird"
RealAudio clip: "Multi-horn Variation"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Volunteered Slavery (Collectables) cd 13.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, I'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orater, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So kudos to Collectables for reissuing 7 essential and timeless Kirk masterpieces. Some terrible design ideas though: the cheesy Collectables logo, HUGE ADS taking up whole pages in the cd booklets, and the 'Collectables Jazz Classics' tag line pasted everywhere over the original art, making them look like those bargain collections you find at truckstops or drugstores. But it's all about the music right....
Originally released in 1969, this finds Kirk in a very soulful mood. The jazz here is only an afterthought, with these funk/soul/gospel numbers heavy on the horns, the testifying and the party/dance vibe!! Covers of '"I Say a Little Prayer" (a Kirk staple) and an awesome version of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" complete with Kirk's over the top Biz Markie style vocals!! The second half was recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival and features some smoking versions of "One Ton", "Three For The Festival", and a Coltrane melody, all interspersed with Kirk's insanely inspired introductions and some of the wildest, most intense flute playing EVER!
RealAudio clip: "Intro/A Tribute To John Coltrane"
RealAudio clip: "My Cherie Amour"
RealAudio clip: "Volunteered Slavery"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND Volunteered Slavery (Atlantic) lp 14.98
One of our favorite records, from one of our favorite jazz LEGENDS, gets the deluxe 180 gram vinyl reissue treatment, and like always when it comes to Roland Kirk, before we can even talk about the record, we need to talk about THE MAN:
Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orator, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber)!!! So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment...
Originally released in 1969, Volunteered Slavery finds Kirk in a very soulful mood. The jazz here is only an afterthought, with these funk/soul/gospel numbers heavy on the horns, the testifying and the party/dance vibe!! Covers of '"I Say a Little Prayer" (a Kirk staple) and an awesome version of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" complete with Kirk's over the top Biz Markie style vocals!! The second half was recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival and features some smoking versions of "One Ton", "Three For The Festival", and a Coltrane melody, all interspersed with Kirk's insanely inspired introductions and some of the wildest, most intense flute playing EVER!
MPEG Stream: "Volunteered Slavery"
MPEG Stream: "Spirits Up Above"
MPEG Stream: "My Cherie Amour"

KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND AND THE VIBRATION SOCIETY Rahsaan Rahsaan (Collectables) cd 13.98
It seems like time for a rant again. Don't worry, I'll make it short. Roland Kirk is God! Or at least as much a god as Mingus, Sun Ra, Davis or Coltrane. So here's your chance to see what you've been missing. And what the majority of jazz fans can't get their narrow heads around: soulful, jazzy, funky, groovy, funny, soul shaking, gut busting, tear jerking brilliance from this musical genius. Master of every instrument he picked up (as well as a handful he invented!), able to play three horns at once (not as a gimmick, as a way to play three melodies), blind since birth and later suffering paralysis from a stroke, wandering around NYC with a huge wheeled staff with various horns duct-taped to it as well as a portable tape recorder that he used to record the sounds of the world and would sometime incorporate into live performances, a brilliant and funny orater, telling jokes and stories, ranting and testifying, preaching and proclaiming, and once even handing out cocaine to folks in the crowd. This man was remarkable. Musically, socially, personally. Unclear why he tends to get overlooked, and underappreciated by the majority of jazz fans. Too weird I guess. But I know that won't bother you (speaking here to YOU, the erudite AQ list subscriber) !!!
So it's always a happy day, when some new Kirk gem is unearthed, or some classic Kirk record gets the re-release/remaster treatment. So kudos to Collectables for reissuing 7 essential and timeless Kirk masterpieces. Some terrible design ideas though: the cheesy Collectables logo, HUGE ADS taking up whole pages in the cd booklets, and the 'Collectables Jazz Classics' tag line pasted everywhere over the original art, making them look like those bargain collections you find at truckstops or drugstores. But it's all about the music right....
Again, Kirk opens proceedings on 1970's Rahsaan Rahsaan with a rant to end all rants, delivered in quite a state, and backed up by clattery percussion and gloomy droning chords. A few minutes into it though, the band kicks in and we're back on more familiar bop territory, although as with a lot of Kirk's work, it's dark and dangerous and tinged with an ominous vibe, mysterious and unsettling. Kirk takes great pains in a two minute introduction to explain his two horn technique and how he gets his mind to think two different things. He then proceeds to play "Sentimental Journey" on one horn and Dvorak's "Going Home" on the other. AT THE SAME TIME. 4 minutes of impossible brainsplitting, ultra complex, totally impossible horn playing. Mindblowing. The record finishes off with more classic Kirk bop and another really funny introduction that as always, keeps the audience in stitches.
RealAudio clip: "Intro/Medley (2 melodies at once!)"
RealAudio clip: "The Seeker"

KIRK, RICHARD H. LoopStatic (Touch) cd 15.98
Richard H. Kirk's lengthy career - including the anti-funk industrial production of Cabaret Voltaire to the innovative bleep techno of Tricky Disco - has been dominated by the continuous and often critical investigation of the beat. 'LoopStatic' is no different, as a collection of lengthy club-friendly techno thumpers with Giorgio Moroder-esque synthetic arrpegiations, acid squiggliness, and anthemic four-on-the-floor drum production. So Mr. Kirk, if the usage of the beat had been a critique of a variety of cultural control mechanisms in the 80s, what does it mean now? Somehow disco made under the ghost of Burroughs is supposed to have 'meaning.' It may have a groovy beat, but it's just disco.

KIRK, ROLAND Domino (Verve) cd 16.98
Another unbelievable document of Kirk's total mastery of his instruments, his impeccable songwriting, and another bit of evidence for my case against all the fucking jazz heads who haven't given Kirk his due. I mean I love Mingus and everything, but how many more movies and books do we need about him, or Sun Ra for that matter, before someone takes on one of the greatest, and most unique horn players in jazz, as well as one of Jazz's craziest characters. Yet another beautiful Verve reissue, nicely packaged, great sounding, and heavy on the flute!!

KIRK, ROLAND Early Roots (Avenue jazz) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Everyone here knows what a big Roland Kirk freak I (Andee) am so every reissue or previously unreleased track makes me way too excited. So you can imagine how I feel about this one. A reissue (originally released on an lp in 1956 that went practically unnoticed) of the very first Kirk recordings from when he was only 20 years old. Although these recordings are considerably less far-out than some of his later stuff, he already proves himself to be a dangerously proficient musician. Split almost evenly between standards and originals, 'Early Roots' is way more traditional, sort of big band going on bop, if that makes any sense. Needless to say, if you are a fan, you probably have to own this.
RealAudio clip: "Rolands Theme"
RealAudio clip: "Slow Groove"

KIRK, ROLAND Here Comes The Whistleman (Water) cd 15.98

KIRK, ROLAND I Talk with the Spirits (Verve) cd 15.98
Remastered, from 1964.

KIRK, ROLAND I Talk With The Spirits (Limelight) lp 12.98

KIRK, ROLAND The Inflated Tear (Atlantic / Rhino) lp 13.98
Finally reissued on vinyl, one of our favorite records, by quite possibly our favorite jazzman ever, Roland Kirk. The Inflated Tear was Kirk's first studio record for Atlantic (before he became Rahsaan), and it's a gorgeous classic jazz record. We've raved endlessly about Kirk elsewhere on his site, known by many primarily for his wild antics and far out behavior, playing multiple horns at once, playing the nose flute, wheeling around a huge wheeled wooden cane, pulling out a tape recorder and playing random recordings into the mic during concerts, passing out cocaine to the crowd, we could go on and on, and we won't lie, his character, and his larger than life persona definitely has a lot to do with why we fell in love with him, but the downside is that folks often forget he's an incredible player, and fantastic composer, all of which is evident here. Totally classic classic jazz, with Kirk handling saxophone and flute, the flute tracks in particular are incredible, fluid and fluttery, the rest of the tracks slipping from slow and brooding and moody and contemplative, to wild and frenzied an almost free, but it's the title track that makes this so essential. Supposedly written when he was on acid, it's the perfect mix of classic jazz, and his more avant side, beginning with a soft cacophony of noisemakers, chimes and rattles, and bells, and then the main horn refrain, is so haunting, a strange otherworldly harmony, you sort of have to hear it (sample below), totally moving and unlike any jazz we've heard, still gives us goosebumps, and then after this strange moaning minor key call, the band slip into straight up, soft cocktail jazz, only to return to that refrain, this time underscored by some seriously ominous piano rumbles, slightly altered, the horns slipping into something more rhythmic, until finally, the band break out into a dark, freak out, all low piano pound, and Kirk howling and ranting, only to finish how it started with bells and chimes. So amazing. The whole record. One of THEE most essential jazz albums for sure. On vinyl. Again.
MPEG Stream: "The Inflated Tear"
MPEG Stream: "The Black And Crazy Blues"
MPEG Stream: "A Laugh For Rory"
MPEG Stream: "Many Blessings"

KIRKEGAARD, JACOB 01.02 (Bottrop-Boy) cd 16.98
Another of the quartet of fine new Bottrop-Boy releases, "01.02" is the solo debut from Danish composer Jacob Kirkegaard, collecting material recorded over the past two years in Cologne (where he lives), Paris, and elsewhere. You might know Kirkegaard's name from his collaboration with AQ-fave turntable experimentalist Philip Jeck, the "Soaked" cd that came out last year on the Touch label. The sound of Jeck-style radioactive crackle from antique vinyl carries over to this release, along with gentle melodies, beats, drones, and vague samples. Recognizable, fragmented bits of guitar and piano surface occasionally, and field recordings or environmental sounds also are utilized. The disc as a whole is a very pretty n' abstract glitch-scape. True, you might feel that you already have a few albums like this in your collection -- but it's a slippery slope arguing that more lovely, glitchy, ambient, droney, dreamy electronic music is an unneccessary thing, and this one is certainly a nice listen, particularily if you're a Jeck fan!
RealAudio clip: " 1002 Kobenhavn"
RealAudio clip: "0102 Koln"

KIRKEGAARD, JACOB 4 Rooms (Touch) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Over his past few releases, Jacob Kirkegaard has exhibited a noticeable shift in his work away from the early experiments with the antiquated residue of Jeckian avant-turntablism towards a clinical conceptualism. His last release, Eldfjall, found Kirkegaard wandering Iceland and documenting the numerous geothermal vents for their tumultuous growlings and tectonic rumbles. On 4 Rooms, Kirkegaard is again wandering in a foreign land, as this Danish born / German resident took off to the "Zone of Exclusion" in the still irradiated town of Chernobyl! There, Kirkegaard employed the same techniques of recording and rebroadcasting sound that Alvin Lucier used on his groundbreaking piece I Am Sitting In A Room, but instead of introducing his own voice into the accumulated room ambience, Kirkegaard simply records the ghostly reverberations from a church, an auditorium, a swimming pool, and a gymnasium. Given the weight of the Chernobyl disaster, it's impossible not to hear these timbral vibrations as anything but radioactive shadows of those who died some 20 years ago; but on a phenomenological level, the sounds that Kirkegaard collects are eerily beautiful falling somewhere between the techgnostic work of recent Hafler Trio and the stoic vibrations of Toshiya Tsunoda.
MPEG Stream: "Church"
MPEG Stream: "Swimming Pool"

KIRKEGAARD, JACOB Eldfjall (Touch) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After several records exploring the internal mechanics of turntables (including a collaboration with Philip Jeck), the Danish sound artist Jacob Kirkegaard turns to the earth itself as the source material for Eldfjall. Using a host of accelerometers, vibration sensors, and contact microphones that he buried in the earth during several trips to Iceland, Kirkegaard maps the sonic terrain of that island-country's volatile geothermal activity. Given the magnitude of his subject matter (the geological sites of rupture where two continental plates are slowly splitting apart), Kirkegaard's recordings are suitably rumbling drones of raw liquifaction. At the more subdued moments, wind can be heard whipping around these rocks (or could that be scalding hot water percolating through porous material?); but for the most part, Kirkegaard documents dense aggregates of vulcanized sound, pressurized water, and agitated vibrations that give the impression of some monumental seismic catastrophe. Kirkegaard's recordings impose a rigorous, clinical taxonomy upon sound, as each chunk of sound slams up against each other without the graceful transitions of a crossfade. Perhaps this is more true to the original source material, but such compositional decisions put Eldfjall closer to the dissonant jump-cuts of Daniel Menche's work. Nevertheless, fans of Toshiya Tsunoda and Chris Watson's Weather Report album should definitely take note! Very good.
MPEG Stream: "Gaea"
MPEG Stream: "Coatlicue"

KIRKEGAARD, JACOB Labyrinthitis (Touch) cd 16.98

KIRKLAND, MIKE JAMES Doin' It Right (Luv N' Haight) cd 14.98
Rare groove classic which on vinyl fetches upwards of $500, lovingly reissued on disc and LP by the fine folks at Ubiquity Records. Sweet soul music. Recommended.

KIRKLAND, MIKE JAMES Doin' It Right (Luv N' Haight) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Rare groove classic which on vinyl fetches upwards of $500, lovingly reissued on disc and LP by the fine folks at Ubiquity Records. Sweet soul music. Recommended.

KIRVASTO Taydellisia Kysymykia (Bad Vugum) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Bad Vugum, er, 'super group' of Finnish luminaries from the likes of Circle, Sweetheart, Keuhkot, and Aavikko is a culmination of hypnotic experimental rock that resembles the more laid back 'cocktail' album from Circle "Hissi".

KISS Ace Frehley (Lilith) picture disc lp 19.98
We can't really think of anything that more symbolizes our musical generation than the four Kiss solo records released way back in 1978. Well, okay, maybe if we tried we could think of a few things, BUT C'MON!!! KISS!!! ACE, PAUL, GENE and PETER!! Sure bands do solo records all the time. But it was never more of a production than when the biggest band in the world decided to simultaneously release 4 solo records, each adorned with a killer airbrushed painting of the artist, in full Kiss makeup and backlit with different colors. This was a huge deal when it happened, and while the records didn't sell nearly as well as the worst selling Kiss record, they still became instantly iconic and most folks we know, owned 'em, and listened to 'em and many of those same folks hung the covers on their walls!! Hell, even sludge masters the Melvins did their own version, even going so far as to emulate the original cheesy cover paintings. But now they are available as PICTURE DISCS!!! Holy shit!!! If there was ever a set of records more ripe for picture disc immortalization we sure as shit can't think of any. So the real question is which one to buy. C'mon. As if there was any other answer, ALL OF THEM. Seriously, what kind of doofus would only want one. They are a set. One at a time is okay, but you are gonna NEED all four. They have been on the wall at Aquarius facing the counter since they were released and they look SOOOO badass all in a row. Worth building a little Kiss shelf in your bedroom just to display these beauties for sure!
So Ace's solo record is pretty much univerally accepted as the best of the four. Pretty heavy and catchy, it definitely proved that maybe Paul and Gene could have let him write more songs for Kiss. "New York Groove" was an actual hit. But there were some killer hard rockers on there: "Rip It Out", "Snow Blind"... Definitely the only one of the four solo records that got heavy play (or any play at all actually). But who cares? You know you need all four!

KISS Ace, Gene, Peter & Paul (Lilith) 4cd 54.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We can't really think of anything that more symbolizes our musical generation than the four Kiss solo records released way back in 1978. Well, okay, maybe if we tried we could think of a few things, BUT C'MON!!! KISS!!! ACE, PAUL, GENE and PETER!! Sure bands do solo records all the time. But it was never more of a production than when the biggest band in the world decided to simultaneously release 4 solo records, each adorned with a killer airbrushed painting of the artist, in full Kiss makeup and backlit with different colors. This was a huge deal when it happened, and while the records didn't sell nearly as well as the worst selling Kiss record, they still became instantly iconic and most folks we know, owned 'em, and listened to 'em and many of those same folks hung the covers on their walls!! Hell, even sludge masters the Melvins did their own version, even going so far as to emulate the original cheesy cover paintings. But now they are available as PICTURE DISCS and as a super deluxe QUADRUPLE CD SET!!! Holy shit!!! If there was ever a set of records more ripe for that sort of immortalization we sure as shit can't think of any. So the real question is which one to buy. C'mon. As if there was any other answer, ALL OF THEM. Which is perfect cuz they come all together. Anyway, what kind of doofus would only want one. They are a set. One at a time is okay, but you NEED all four. The picture discs have been on the wall at Aquarius facing the counter since they were released and they look SOOOO badass all in a row.
So Ace's solo record is pretty much univerally accepted as the best of the four. Pretty heavy and catchy, it definitely proveed that maybe Paul and Gene could have let him write more songs for Kiss. "New York Groove" was an actual hit. But there were some killer hard rockers on there: "Rip It Out", "Snow Blind"... Definitely the only one of the four solo records that got heavy play (or any play at all actually).
Gene's record was the biggest surprise. We all expected some serious heaviness from THE DEMON, but instead got Beatlesy jangle, funk and DISCO!! Weird. Maybe the most listened to disc for novelty value. Featured some serious guest star power: Joe Perry from Aerosmith, Bob Seger, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Janis Ian and Donna Summer. Woah.
Peter's record was considered by pretty much everybody to be the worst of the bunch. Some of us tried extra hard to like it, cuz, c'mon he was the DRUMMER. Of Kiss!!!! Peter leaned more toward the ballad end of the spectrum which should have boded well since most of his Kiss contributions were ballads, and were also some of the band's biggest hits! But his solo record, even in the ballad department tended to be a bit, well, weak. There are definite moments. And there might have been a minor hit or two, but mostly this disc exists to complete the set.
Paul's record sounded the most like a straight up Kiss record since he was the principal songwriter anyway. While it lacked the spark of a lot of the Kiss material it was still pretty decent. Hard rocking and catchy. Also featured legendary drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Rod Stewart, King Kobra!) on the skins!
This four disc set comes packaged in a super deluxe printed slipcase, the four covers on one side, some Russian text on the other. Inside, all the discs are housed in a massive fold out sleeve, like those things grandmas keep pictures of their grandchildren in, with each disc exposed, as each one has a reproduction of the cover ON the disc! So cool. Also includes a Detroit Rock City bottle opener. Fuck yeah!

KISS Destroyer (Mercury / Casablanca) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
Those of you who have been reading our New Arrivals list carefully for the past month know that I (Allan) have embarked upon a quixotic little project, reviewing one old KISS album per list. Why? Dunno. I guess 'cause Kiss rooooooooool. So, so far I've done write ups on two of the more kwestionable Kiss platters of the make up era, the disco inflected (infested?) Dynasty (1979) and the Styx-ish concept album Music From The Elder (1981). Go back and read about 'em if you didn't, we'd be happy to sell a few more of those...any of those. This time 'round, however, I thought it best to feature a maybe more acclaimed, essential Kiss album. I've chosen... Destroyer! From the Bicentennial year of 1976, their fourth studio album, coming after in-concert classic Alive!, Destroyer is one of the biggest Kiss successes ever. In part 'cause of drummer Peter Criss' surprise hit ballad, "Beth". But you're not gonna buy this for "Beth" (probably). You're gonna get it for the heavier fare here, such classics as "Detroit Rock City", remarkably Sabbathy in the riff dep't, and "God Of Thunder", a song Paul wrote for Gene for obvious reasons, of course this album's most heavy metal moment. Catchy, campy party starters like "King Of The Nighttime World", "Shout It Out Loud", "Do You Love Me?" (cowritten with Kim Fowley) are all over the place here too. Along with much studio embellishment both within and between songs, album opener "Detroit Rock City" getting a sound collage intro new to you if you've only heard it on the radio before.
Basically, if someone were to ask us what Kiss sounds like, we'd wouldn't hesitate to reach for Destroyer. The glammy, cartoony '70s kitsch Kiss phenomenon was about as full in effect here as anyplace else. Just check out the larger than life band portrait on the cover. Wouldn't you want that on your lunchbox? And elementary schoolkids' older siblings could appreciate that Kiss was ready to rock hard for respect, capable of competing with the likes of Grand Funk sure enough but also doing battle in the arenas with some of the more metal acts of the era. So, Destroyer: hit ballad, hit rockers, good times all around, what more do you want? And well, heck, if we have to tell you too much about THIS album, maybe Kiss just isn't for you. C'mon nostalgia, do your thing...
MPEG Stream: "God Of Thunder"
MPEG Stream: "Sweet Pain"

KISS Dressed To Kill (Mercury) cd 10.98
All right, gonna wrap up the Kiss reviewing, for a little while anyway. Talkin' this week about not one, but THREE Kiss classics: Hotter Than Hell (1974), Dressed To Kill (1975), and Rock And Roll Over (1976). With these three reviewed, that means we will have covered all the Kiss studio albums up through 1981's Music From The Elder, except the universally loathed Unmasked... which might be for the best. (Crucial albums Alive I and II also remain to be reviewed.)
I don't mean to give any of these three short shrift by doing 'em briefly all together, it's just that lengthy reviews might not really be necessary. So, to begin: Hotter Than Hell, Kiss's second album, followed up their self-titled debut with another strong collection of songs, perhaps chief among them the heavy headbanging groove of Ace's "Parasite" (later covered by Anthrax) and the majestic lecherous lament of Gene's "Goin' Blind" (later covered by the Melvins). Meanwhile, tracks like "Let Me Go, Rock And Roll", "All The Way", and the title track are ones to crank come party-time. Actually the whole record is pretty much a rockin', rollin' barn-burner, aside from the aforementioned dirgey "Goin' Blind", and also album-ender "Strange Ways", whose lyrics and metallic plod have a sinister vibe that could weird out some partygoers. Cool though! Really, nothin' in they way of weak ones here, though maybe Paul's opener "Got To Choose" will be a bit too Bad Company sounding for some. Hotter Than Hell is an accurate album title I've gotta say, though it's too bad it didn't get the production job it deserved.
Next up, Kiss platter number 3, Dressed To Kill. There's a bunch of fairly poppy, finger snapping, boot-stomping hard rockers on here, Kiss again (almost) reminding us of the MC5 circa Back In The USA on opener "Room Service"... The immortal hits from this album include the Stonesy "C'mon And Love Me", mission statement "Rock And Roll All Night" (which you've probably heard a few million times too many), and "She", which lumbers a heckuva lot like BoC's "Godzilla". They go all flowery and acoustic for the first half of one song, but snap out of it in time to kick some ass ("Rock Bottom"). Incipient self-parody may be noticeable here, with groupie-themed lyrics and rock n' roll anthems making soon-to-be predictable appearances, but that's ok, some of my favorite Kiss albums later on are ALL self-parody and none the worse for it.
And then we skip ahead ('cause I've already reviewed the intervening Destroyer) to Rock And Roll Over, which fits in between the big D and Love Gun as their 5th studio album. This one starts off with one of my very favorite Kiss songs EVER, "I Want You", with its deceptively pretty n' sweet melodic intro immediately bursting into godlike amps-on-11, chest-thumping heavy metal riff rock that's about as catchy as it gets. Lyrically, it's the lustful essence of Kiss. But is Paul singing romantically about a longtime love, or rather more sleazily about the blonde in the third row, center, who just caught his eye? Probably the latter. Gene's "Calling Dr. Love" was another hit here, and definitely meant for that blonde... in fact, not just her, but all the willing ladies in the audience, no doubt!
What else? Peter sings an acoustic ballady number that's not too bad, "Hard Luck Woman", likely intended as this album's "Beth" (the sensitive, surprise hit he had on Destroyer, though this time, Paul wrote the song). Otherwise, not too much to say. "Take Me", "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em", "Makin' Love", "Mr. Speed", etc., it's all decent enuff Kiss stuff but nothing really stands out for me. Well, dumbest one "Ladies Room" maybe stands out, but not in a good way. But, dumb or not, Kiss knows what they're doing, and you'll be singing along to lots of Rock And Roll Over before it's over. And besides, it's got "I Want You"!
Ok, with these three albums, maybe that's all the Kiss we'll be reviewing for a while. Whew! But I'll start another series of reviews of another overlooked (by AQ) band, next time...
MPEG Stream: "She"
MPEG Stream: "Rock Bottom"