V/A Trojan Rude Boy Box Set (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
Speaking out on social issues and healthy debates (or downright rhetorical battles) have both been long standing hallmarks of lyrical tradition in Jamaican music. Any number of dialectics in the form of a compilation could be eeked from the material streaming out of Jamaica over the last four decades. For its part, the Rude Boy phenomenon is as good a topic as any. The term applies to neer-do-well youths who began showing up to dances in the mid sixties to pick fights and otherwise spoil the fun of those out to have a good time. Their presence was troublesome in the least and tragic at their worst, as some innocent bystanders even lost their lives when shootouts erupted on the dancefloor. It's even been mythologized that the Rocksteady's formation came about as a direct result from the practice of Rude Boys intentionally dancing slow during the fast paced ska tunes; their aim to cause some unwitting couple to collide with them, giving them a reason to pick a fight. All claims to the myth's validity aside, it underscores the effect the Rude Boys had on Jamaica's musical climate. So it should come as no surprise that Rude Boys were weighed in on by just about everyone in the business: pro and con. On the one hand they were touted as heroes: likened to modern day Robin Hoods. But on the other, they were ruthless trouble makers who's victims were other poor black Jamaicans. Trojan puts together (once again exactly) 50 tracks from as far back as 1965 from just about everyone who was anyone weighing in on the issue: Alton Ellis, The Heptones, Baba Brooks, Desmond Dekker, Justin Hinds, Derrick Morgan, Lee Perry, Peter Tosh, John Holt, Johnny Clarke and more. I say "just about" everyone, because there is one name that is conspicuously absent from the list: Prince Buster. It was Prince Buster after all who started the -- as we would call it now -- flame war that makes up at least one disc full of songs on this three disc set. In 1967 Prince Buster recorded his notorious "Judge Dread", in which Buster holds court to sentence Rude Boys (aptly played by his band) to "400 years". The reason for this crucial song's absence (not to mention Prince Buster's follow ups "The Appeal" and "Barrister Pardon") I suspect is because Trojan records is too cheap to pay the licensing fee to include it on this comp (remember the Trojan Mod Reggae Box? Same deal), so an otherwise definitive collection becomes a bit of a half-assed attempt. Still, there are some great tracks on this set, and if you really want to hear all sides of the story, we've managed to get more copies of the Judge Dread album by Prince Buster on CD.
RealAudio clip: BABA BROOKS & HIS BAND "Guns Fever"
RealAudio clip: ALTON ELLIS & THE FLAMES "Cry Tough"
RealAudio clip: HONEYBOY & THE VOICES "Dreader Than Dread"

V/A Trojan Selecta: Volume 4 (Trojan) cd 8.98

V/A Trojan Singles Box Set (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
The Trojan label was originally launched in the UK by the B&C/Island partnership, as an outlet for the production work of Duke Reid. Following B&C's descision to split away from Island, and the latter's decision to withdraw from Jamaican music, a new company called Trojan Records was set up. In 1968 the Trojan label was relaunched, with a batch of UK recordings produced by Robert Thompson, who used the name Dandy (and Brother Dan) for his work. Before long, Jamaican produced releases replaced the UK sides, and a string of high quality records hit the shops. Most of the top Jamaican producers saw their work issued here on Trojan... By the end of 1969, a little over a year since the relaunch, Trojan penetrated the UK singles chart for the first time, scoring hits with discs by the Pioneers, Harry J All Stars, and Jimmy Cliff." [from the liner notes.] The fifty rock-steady and reggae tracks in this box range from 1968 to 1978 and include several songs never before released on LP or CD by noted luminaries as: Derrick Morgan, The Melodians, The Maytals, The Pioneers, Derrick Harriot, Donna Hinds and more.

V/A Trojan Ska Box Set (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
The genre that saw Jamaican music move from the heavily Rhythm & Blues and Soul influenced Blues Beat into its own unqiue and beutiful form - up tempo, punchy, and loaded with horns. Featuring tracks by: Lord Tanamo, Baba Brooks, Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Roland Alphonso, Derrick Morgan, Don Drummond, The Ethiopians, The Techniques, Jimmy Cliff, Clancy Eccles, Lee Perry and much more.

V/A Trojan Ska Box Volume 1 (Trojan) 3lp 37.00
The consistently popular Trojan box sets are now being issued on LP at long last. The sets all appear to be identical to their cd counterparts in design and content, only being slightly more pricey.
The genre that saw Jamaican music move from the heavily Rhythm & Blues and Soul influenced Blues Beat into its own unqiue and beautiful form - up tempo, punchy, and loaded with horns. Featuring tracks by: Lord Tanamo, Baba Brooks, Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Roland Alphonso, Derrick Morgan, Don Drummond, The Ethiopians, The Techniques, Jimmy Cliff, Clancy Eccles, Lee Perry and much more.

V/A Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
For those thinking that maybe there's some sort of contradiction in terms with the words "skinhead" and "reggae" used in the same breath, it is Trojan's job to educate as well as tittilate. Way back in the late sixties, before any of the current breed of skinheads were breeched, the ever restless working class youth of England were in the process of constructing a new counter culture style out of the demise of Mod. Designing themselves in complete antithesis of the hippies, they cut their hair short, donned levi jeans army surplus jackets and steel toed boots. The music they embraced to round out their were the fresh sounds coming out of Jamaica: the newly forged sounds of reggae. The enthusiasm for the music combined with the buying power of the English youth was such that Jamaican singles soon began to appear on the charts and Jamaican artists themselves began to take notice of them, tailoring songs for the new English market. It wasn't until many years later that the clueless throngs of right wing nuts, who are now synonymous with the word "skinhead", co-opted the fashion wholesale, even modelling their music after Jamaican ska. The fifty tracks on this collection were recorded between 1968 and 1970 with tracks produced both in Jamaica and the U.K. by Jamaican ex-patriots (disc three appears to be almost exclusively comprised of the latter) such as Laurel Aitken, Joe Mansano, Lambert Brisco and others.
RealAudio clip: THE CHARMERS "Skinhead Train"
RealAudio clip: THE UPSETTERS "A Taste of Killings"
RealAudio clip: RILEY, DESMOND "Skinhead A Message To You"

V/A Trojan Soulful Reggae Box Set (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
This collection from Trojan emphasizes the close ties Jamaican artists have had with Americans through music, presenting 50 tracks of soul, R&B, and funk covers from the island recorded in the late sixties through mid-seventies. There are quite a few excellent tracks here (Motown being well represented) including: "Tears of a Clown", "Let's Get It On", "I'll Be There", "Just My Imagination", "Ooh Child", "People Make the World Go Round" (not the Hortence Ellis version), "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", and much, much more.
RealAudio clip: THE CHOSEN FEW "Do Your Thing"
RealAudio clip: TEDDY BROWN "Midnight Train To Georgia"

V/A Trojan Tribute To Bob Marley (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
Three cds featuring an amazing assortment of artists, honoring (and covering) Bob Marley, perhaps the most important figure in the history of reggae. Includes: Prince Far I, Judy Mowatt, Derrick Morgan, Tommy McCook, U Roy, The Upsetters, Augustus Pablo, Big Youth, Phyllis Dillon, Dennis Brown, Tappa Zukie, Jackie Mittoo and much more.

V/A Trojan Upsetter Box Set (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
Well you've got to hand it to Trojan since they cut the price on these box sets it's hard to go wrong. But with this new Upsetter Box, if you have any of the many Perry / Upsetter collections already (especially any of the trojan anthologies), you'll be getting a whole lot of redundant material. Disc one covers Perry's pre-Black Ark days, with tracks dating back to 1968, recorded Randy's and Dynamic Sounds. This disc is contains not only the best material in the set but, unfortunately, also the most oft released tracks. Disc two contains tracks from Perry's Black Ark period and collaborations with King Tubby dating up to 1978. The third disc would be a great disc, containing several rare extended mixes of some of Perry's late seventies work including the Congo's "Neckodeemus", but it's soured by the addition of some of recently recorded tracks, including one from this year's awful 'Jamaican E.T.' album.
RealAudio clip: THE UPSETTERS "Man From MI5"
RealAudio clip: CADOGAN, SUSAN "Fever"

V/A Trojan X-Rated Box Set (Trojan) 3cd 26.00
Trojan now has a contest on their website in which you can make a suggestion for upcoming box set releases. You can choose just the theme, or even go as far as picking out the tracks. And though I wish I could lay claim to the concept that's been floating around to make the Trojan Overlap Box Set, I can't -- somebody else already brilliantly suggested that Trojan release a box set of tracks everyone already has on at least three other Trojan compilations. And if Trojan's sense of humor is at least half the size of their opportunistic abilities, they might just release it. So now you're probably wondering whether or not you should get this. Well, truth is, this is actually a fucking great copulation... err, I mean compilation. Taken from bewteen 1966 and 1975, the tracks range from the subtle double entendre style reminiscent of early mento and calypso artists to the quite overt x-rated. It's the former that by far are the most entertaining as it demonstrates the lyricist's skills in avoiding the wrath of censors, and yet some of the naughtier x-rated cuts can be equally hilarious. Not to mention the Monty Python-esque tracks where two men sing both the male and female parts... strange. It seems as though the production on much of the tracks here is a bit more loose, for lack of a better word, which lends to stranger arrangements at times. I imagine that many of the tracks were not intended for any wide scale release and as such the artists and producers both had more fun in the recording studio. And these aren't obscure producers and singers featured here either. You've got Lee Perry (he's all over this one). Max Romeo (you've never heard Max until you hear him sing "Play With Your Pussy"), Augustus Pablo, U Roy, Niney the Observer, Phyllis Dillon, Derrick Morgan, Lloyd Charmers to name a few. Trojan insures us that a great deal of these tracks have never before been released on CD. So, as Trojan boxes go, we give this one the thumbs up, but don't go playing this one around the family over the holidays.
RealAudio clip: LLOYDIE & THE LOWBITES "Birth Control"
RealAudio clip: PHYLLIS DILLON "Don't Touch Me Tomato"
RealAudio clip: DERRICK MORGAN "Horse Race (aka My Dickie)"

V/A Trojan: A Jamaican Story Box Set (Trojan) 30cd 150.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The monster box set from Trojan has arrived. 30 cds, totalling in at 500 tracks, available for a reasonable price. This box contains the first 10 boxes in the Trojan Box series: Ska, Dub, Rocksteady, DJ, Lovers, Tribute To Bob Marley, Instrumentals, Roots, Jamaican Superstars and Producers. For those of us who've already spent our dough on these as individual releases this box comes a little too late, but for those of you considering delving into the Trojan catalog who haven't done so yet, this is a super bargain. When you divide it up, each cd is only $5.

V/A Tropicalia (Lilith) cd 21.00
Lilith is really on top of the Tropicalia reissues and this time we see back in stock the compilation / collaboration that served as the Brazilian movement's defining manifesto while also highlighting the key musical players: Gil Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Os Mutantes, Gal Costa and producer Rogerio Duprat (with contributions from Nara Leao, Tom Ze, and Vicente Celestino among others). We were surprised to find we didn't review this ten years ago when we first discovered and raved about Os Mutantes and heard about the Tropicalia movement from the late sixties with all this amazing and creative art, poetry and music. Although it's easy to be blinded by Os Mutantes' genius, as they were definitely the most rocking and performative component of the movement, which was made up of mostly singer-songwriters that came from more traditional musical forms of Samba, Fado and Bossa Nova. So perhaps we were less floored musically with that aspect of this compilation at the time, or just didn't appreciate enough the then-radical concept of mashing all these disparate forms of psychedelic rock, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Brazilian popular styles together in a country that nationalized its traditional music to such a degree that even electric instruments were considered anathema. We are definitely appreciating it much more now. Especially after becoming more familiar with the solo work of each of the contributors, we're more open this time around to the softer nuances of the song writing and performances. Panis et Circencis (Bread and Circuses) is both a celebration and a political critique, a collaboration of unity and vitality and most of all longevity.
MPEG Stream: OS MUTANTES "Panis et Circensis"
MPEG Stream: CAETANO VELOSO "Enquanto Seu Lobo Nao Vem"
MPEG Stream: GAL COSTA "Mamae Coragem"

V/A Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
You can always count on Soul Jazz for a beautifully packaged and well thought out compilation. This time out it's a trip to late '60s early '70s Brazil for the suave sounds of the founders of tropicalia. Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, Gal Costa, Jorgen Ben, Gilberto Gil, and of course ultimate AQ faves Os Mutantes. With a sound that mixes elements of psychedelic rock, samba, funk, soul and avant-garde aesthetics like tape loops and delays. Crazy to think that during the dictatorial political atmosphere in Brazil at the time many of these artists were seen as dangerous because of the revolutionary sounds they were creating. Veloso and Gil were even arrested and deported. What they began was a sound and style that's been picked up by new generations across the globe. Just listen to records by Beck, Olivia Tremor Control (listen to the Veloso sound sample, an OTC dead ringer!), Sam Prekop, David Byrne and many others and you can hear how these sounds have shaped some of the smartest pop music of the last quarter-century.
MPEG Stream: "Lost In The Paradise"
MPEG Stream: "Domingo No Parque"
MPEG Stream: "Tuareg"
MPEG Stream: "A Minha Menina"

V/A Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
You can always count on Soul Jazz for a beautifully packaged and well thought out compilation. This time out it's a trip to late '60s early '70s Brazil for the suave sounds of the founders of tropicalia. Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, Gal Costa, Jorgen Ben, Gilberto Gil, and of course ultimate AQ faves Os Mutantes. With a sound that mixes elements of psychedelic rock, samba, funk, soul and avant-garde aesthetics like tape loops and delays. Crazy to think that during the dictatorial political atmosphere in Brazil at the time many of these artists were seen as dangerous because of the revolutionary sounds they were creating. Veloso and Gil were even arrested and deported. What they began was a sound and style that's been picked up by new generations across the globe. Just listen to records by Beck, Olivia Tremor Control (listen to the Veloso sound sample, an OTC dead ringer!), Sam Prekop, David Byrne and many others and you can hear how these sounds have shaped some of the smartest pop music of the last quarter-century.
MPEG Stream: "Lost In The Paradise"
MPEG Stream: "Domingo No Parque"
MPEG Stream: "Tuareg"
MPEG Stream: "A Minha Menina"

V/A Troubleman Mixtape (Troubleman Unlimited) 2cd 14.98
In an attempt to come up with the perfect compilation (in the spirit of collections like No New York, Flex Your Head, Not So Quiet on the Western Front and the like), Mike Troubleman took four years to compile this appropriately titled "Mix Tape" of bands he's currently into. Features exclusive tracks by Burmese, Pink & Brown, Erase Errata, Lightning Bolt, The Locust, The Fucking Champs, XBXRX, Melt Banana, Subtonix, Unwound, Men's Recovery Project, Pixeltan, The Monorchid, Outhud, Blonde Redhead, Red Monkey, Total Shutdown, Bride of No No, Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre, Flying Luttenbachers, Black Dice, Rah Bras, and many more, including contributions by now-defunct bands such as The Cranium and Crom-Tech. Unfortunately, many of the tracks (like on most compilations nowadays) are throwaways, either poorly recorded or not indicative of "normal" output. Anyway, if you're at all interested in what's "happening" in the current indie underground scene, this is definitely a good introduction to many lesser-known bands.

V/A Troubleman Sampler (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 5.98
Punky noisy label Troubleman records has put out many awesome records; this comp is a low-priced way to check out tracks from a bunch of their current, recent and here-very-soon releases. Features a ton of AQ and customer fave bands! Dig it: Erase Errata, Wolf Eyes, Glass Candy, Orthrelm, The Walkmen, Subtonix, Pixeltan, The Roger Sisters, Songs Of Zarathustra, Meta*Matics, The Flying Luttenbachers, The Panthers, ABC's, Numbers, Kepler, Red Monkey, The Lack, Touchdown, Milky Wimpshake and Pussycat Trash, plus an Erase Errata remix by Adult (from the upcoming Erase Errata remix album).
MPEG Stream: ERASE ERATTA "Marathon (Adult. Remix)"
MPEG Stream: META*MATICS "KKKlown"

V/A TRR50 Thank You (Temporary Residence Ltd.) cd 11.98
TRR50 Thank You marks the fiftieth release on Temporary Residence, and the thanks really should go both ways. Thanks Jeremy and T.R. for bringing such great music to the ears of many! This comp reveals the vast scope of this label -- from jazzy propulsive and glistening post-rock (Rumah Sakit, Sonna, Kilowatthours, Explosions In The Sky, Parlour) to gentle acoustic folkiness (Howard Hello) to atmospheric soundscapes (Tarentel, Kammerflimmer Kollektief) to glitchy electronic dreaminess (Fridge, Sybarite). Whether heavy and angular or delicate and vaporous, each Temporary Residence release maintains a common thread of beauty. Each of the eleven tracks is new and exclusive to this release!
MPEG Stream: FRIDGE "Five Combs"
MPEG Stream: RUMAH SAKIT "I Can't See Anything When I Close My Eyes (Live)"

V/A Truck Driver's Boogie: Big Rig Hits Vol. 1 (Diesel Only / Koch / Audium) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Presented by the Country Music Hall Of Fame, here's a great collection from what's one of Allan's favorite country western genres, the truck driving song! Songs about truckstop waitresses, black coffee, night runs, little white pills, and dangerous curves (of both the asphalt and female kind). Of course, these 20 tracks are far from a complete collection (what? no Red Sovine?) but this disc does cover many of the most seminal truckin' tunes over the 30 year span of 1939 to 1969, from the very first big rig hit "Truck Driver's Blues" (Cliff Brown & His Boys, 1939) to one of the first truck drivin' hillbilly boogie songs "Truck Driver's Boogie" (The Milo Twins, 1948) to the more somber "A Tombstone Every Mile" (Dick Curless, 1964) to Windy's best-loved trucking song, Red Simpson's "Roll, Truck, Roll" (1966), with its classic spoken word breakdown about his little boy drawing pictures of trucks all day at school... Over half the disc is drawn from the the truck driving song's commercial heyday in the Sixties. Hopefully though, a Volume 2 is in the works, covering the '70s and beyond.
RealAudio clip: DOYE O'DELL "Diesel Smoke (Dangerous Curves)"
RealAudio clip: DAVE DUDLEY "Six Days On The Road"
RealAudio clip: BOBBY BRADDOCK "Gear Bustin' Sort of a Feller"

V/A True Kings Of Norway (Spikefarm) cd 14.98
From the darkest past we summon thee: early 7" vinyl releases from several of Norway's elite black metal tyrants, now collected on one handy cd. So if in 1992 you missed picking up Immortal's 7" debut, or failed to get Emperor's "As The Shadows Rise" 7" ep in '94, now's your chance to add those tracks to your collection. Rare 7" tracks by Dimmu Borgir, Arcturus, and the somewhat out-of-their-league Ancient are also found here. Far from most of those bands' current highly-polished, produced sounds, these early singles are nothing if not steeped in a raw, primitve black metal urgency and atmosphere that still makes the blood run cold. And, if these classic cuts weren't enough, this digipak also includes an amazing fold-out "map" of the Norwegian blackmetal community, a kind of convoluted family tree demonstrating the unholy links among these bands and many many others. Very cool, almost essential for true black metal fiends.

V/A Tumbele! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean, 1963-74 (Sound Way) cd 16.98

V/A Tumbele! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean, 1963-74 (Sound Way) 2lp 23.00

V/A Turbo's Tunes (Kill Rock Stars) cd 4.98
Kill Rock Stars was so eloquent with the subtitle "A Kill Rock Stars Retrospective Sampler" that we needn't mention anything beyond the track listing: Sleater Kinney, Unwound, The Bangs, The Gossip, Holly Golightly, Cadallaca, Har Mar Superstar, Two Ton Boa, Jim Carroll, Kleenex, and many more!

V/A Turkey: Music From the Yayla (Ocora) cd 14.98

V/A Turkish Delights (Grey Past) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We are all quite excited about the cd release of Turkish Delights comp (though Byram's a bit irked 'cause he bought the original vinyl and now is faced with a cd version that adds 11 extra tracks!). In total, there's 26 tracks here, dating from 1965 to 1971, of some of the best garage psych that we've ever heard -- from Turkey or anywhere else for that matter. The Turkish rock scene appears to have begun in earnest in 1956 when the English instrumental group The Shadows made their impression on Turkish teens. Given that many people in Turkey didn't even speak English, it's pretty impressive how well they assimilated a completely foreign music and excelled in it better than most of their American and British counterparts. Some of the tracks like Mavi Isiklar's "Great Airplane Strike of 1967" (a Paul Revere & the Raiders cover) are spitting images of garage-psych from the occident, but others like Cem Karaca & Apaslar's "Suya Giden Alli Gelin" are unmistakably Eastern. It's these tracks, that combine the rock n' roll structure and instrumentation augmented with Turkish instruments, scales and singing that really kick ass. Those of you that have already picked up the excellent "Hava Narghile" compilation know what we mean, but what was great about that collection is exponentially better on this one! Get it.
Along with the new cd version, we now have more copies of the "Turkish Delights" LP (which was so hard to get when it first came out that we only ever had a handful and were never able to list it). 15 tracks on this baby instead of the 26 on the cd, but what you lose in bonus cuts you gain in, uh, vinyl. And the art looks better, we think.
RealAudio clip: CEM KARACA & APASLAR "Suya Giden Alli Gelin"
RealAudio clip: SELCUK ALAGOZ "Saklan Saklanabilirsen"
RealAudio clip: CAHIT OBEN "Halimem"

V/A Turkish Delights (Grey Past) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We are all quite excited about the cd release of Turkish Delights comp (though Byram's a bit irked 'cause he bought the original vinyl and now is faced with a cd version that adds 11 extra tracks!). In total, there's 26 tracks here, dating from 1965 to 1971, of some of the best garage psych that we've ever heard -- from Turkey or anywhere else for that matter. The Turkish rock scene appears to have begun in earnest in 1956 when the English instrumental group The Shadows made their impression on Turkish teens. Given that many people in Turkey didn't even speak English, it's pretty impressive how well they assimilated a completely foreign music and excelled in it better than most of their American and British counterparts. Some of the tracks like Mavi Isiklar's "Great Airplane Strike of 1967" (a Paul Revere & the Raiders cover) are spitting images of garage-psych from the occident, but others like Cem Karaca & Apaslar's "Suya Giden Alli Gelin" are unmistakably Eastern. It's these tracks, that combine the rock n' roll structure and instrumentation augmented with Turkish instruments, scales and singing that really kick ass. Those of you that have already picked up the excellent "Hava Narghile" compilation know what we mean, but what was great about that collection is exponentially better on this one! Get it.
Along with the new cd version, we now have more copies of the "Turkish Delights" LP (which was so hard to get when it first came out that we only ever had a handful and were never able to list it). 15 tracks on this baby instead of the 26 on the cd, but what you lose in bonus cuts you gain in, uh, vinyl. And the art looks better, we think.

V/A Turntable Solos (Amoebic) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A solid introduction for all those who have only seen the hip-hop approach to wax tricks. This covers almost every other conceivable area of turntablist sound-art from Christian Marclay, Otomo Yoshihide, Merzbow, Crawling With Tarts, Erik M, Extasis, Frank Schulte, George Budd, L?K?O, Martin Tetreault, Massimo Simonini, Mood Man, PFN, Rik Rue, Takeshi Fumimoto, and Tsunoda Tsuguto.

V/A Turntables By the Bay (Hip Hop Slam) cd 14.98
A really nice cd version of the four vinyl Turntables by the Bay comps. This contains most but not all of the tracks from that series, along with really detailed liner notes, contact info for the DJs, etc. With tracks from star turntablists Q-Bert and other Skratch Piklz, the Groove Robbers featuring DJ Shadow, Eddie Def, Live Human, Peanut Butter Wolf... and my personal favorite DJ Quest. Wow. A strong collection of work by our Bay Area DJs -- no duds, worth the money.
RealAudio clip: DJ QUEST "Quest Represent"
RealAudio clip: Q-BERT FEAT. FLARE, D-STYLES, & YOGAFROG "Invasion of the Octobots"

V/A Twenty Years Of Dischord (Dischord) 3cd 23.00
This box set commemorates Dischord's first 20 years as a label and is an amazing and lovingly put together artefact. Three cds, with one track from each band on the label (including one track from each band on the seminal "Flex Your Head" compilation). The third disc is all unreleased material and contains some very early video footage of The Untouchables, The Teen Idles, SOA, Faith, Void and Deadline. 73 songs in all (21 unreleased) and a 134 page book with full page bio for each band written by Ian MacKaye, Jeff Nelson and Henry Rollins. This label has been such an inspiration to so many labels, bands, stores, activists, individuals, whatever. Hard working and obviously still in love with music even after all these years. The box set is sequenced in chronological order which is kind of cool because you get a feel for the way the bands and the label progressed, and because it's such a family affair, being that all the bands were from D.C., there are people showing up in a several different bands, so it illustrates the individual changes and transformations as well. So nice.
The 50 bands are as follows:
Teen Idles, The Untouchables, State of Alert, Minor Threat , Void, Youth Brigade, Government Issue, Scream, Iron Cross, Red C, Deadline, Artificial Peace, Faith, Skewbald, Marginal Man, Gray Matter, Rites of Spring, Beefeater, The Snakes, Dag Nasty, Embrace, Soulside, Egg Hunt, One Last Wish, Fire Party, Ignition, Three, Shudder to Think, Happy Go Licky, Fugazi, Lungfish, Fidelity Jones, The Nation of Ulysses, Holy Rollers, Jawbox, Severin, The High-Back Chairs, Autoclave, Circus Lupus, Branch Manager, Slant 6, Hoover, Trusty, Smart Went Crazy, The Crownhate Ruin, The Warmers, The Make-Up, Bluetip, Faraquet, Q and Not U.
RealAudio clip: TEEN IDLES "Get Up And Go"
RealAudio clip: MINOR THREAT "Screaming At A Wall"
RealAudio clip: BEEFEATER "Just Things"
RealAudio clip: HAPPY GO LICKY "Twist and Shout"

V/A Two Effs (Fflint Central) cd-r 9.98
Fflint Central is a U.K. label run by two extraordinarily nice guys and darn fine hosts (good enough to befriend a sick and bedraggled on-tour Andee and buy him Cokes). Fflint specializes in experimental electronics and harsh abstract noise. One would think that there's enough, or too much of both, but the men from Fflint have that something special (fuck-you attitude? undefinable sound? sense of humor?) that makes these records way better and way more interesting than the majority of the 'electronica' we hear these days. Fans of VV/M, Lesser and other 'troublesome' electonica will dig this stuff. Affordable CD-Rs. Go ahead and take a chance. You may regret it...
Here is the ubiquitous 'label sampler', but in this case, it's almost better to treat it like its own release, since there is so much overlap/incest among the Fflint stable of artists. All unreleased stuff form almost everyone on the label. From ear-splitting noise to soothing drones to pounding distorted beats to hypnotic pulses. From calculated compositions to all out mayhem. A good overview of an awesome new label.
RealAudio clip: MORTICIANS' CLUB "Squat"
RealAudio clip: ROTATION HEX "Berks Per Minute"

V/A Two Million Tongues Festival (Bastet) cd 14.98
Plastic Crimewave along with the ever so busy Arthur Magazine curated this great fest in Chicago which took place earlier this year. A fest with AQ faves all over it. And this comp of bands who performed at the fest is a nice consolation for those of us who couldn't be there. Festival or no, this is simply one badass compilation! With everyone from Mountains to Josephine Foster, Tony Conrad to Hototogisu, No Neck Blues Band to Jack Rose, you can tell this was a fest put together with great taste and a sense of how important varied sounds is to keep folks' attention. None of the bands sound exactly the same, but there is a definite stylistic thread that runs throughout. Maybe we'll make it to the next Two Million Tongues Fest...until then we'll be hanging out right here with this.
MPEG Stream: NO NECK BLUES BAND "Pulse"
MPEG Stream: TONY CONRAD "Bowstring 1"
MPEG Stream: MOUNTAINS "Speaking"

V/A Two Point Two (12K) 2cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

V/A U-Sound, Vol. One (Parallelism) cd 15.98
Parallelism is the London based imprint run by Matador head /Air Traffic Controllers guitarist Gerard Cosloy. Portland, OR based Tom Greenwood and Josh Stevenson (of Jackie-O Motherfucker and Cast Exotic Archives, respectively), collect recordings documenting the worldwide post-psychedelic underground via their Unity Sound Archive label (aka U Sound). In short, Greenwood and Stevenson set up short-lived (about one week long) installations in which a revolving cast of artists continuously perform prearranged and/or improvisational pieces that last several hours at a time. This two cd set compiles excerpts of live performances in various U Sound installations throughout 1999 in NYC. Artists featured: Matthew Valentine, Glands of External Secretion, Daniel Carter, Black Magic, Decaer Pinga (Prick Decay), Tara Jane O'Neil solo and with Sai Flora, Michael Hurley, Eagle Blood (Brian Degraw, Saul Williams, actor Leo Fitzpatrick and Angelblood member / fashion designer Jess Holzworth), Greg Anderson, Jeff Perkins, PG Six, Tim Barnes & Glen Kotche, Double Leopards, Sewerz, Unity Sound Ensemble, Furchick w/ the Armaround, Josh Burkett, Tono-Bungay, The Doves, Army Of Ghosts (ex-Aylers Angels), Far Fetched (Paul Major), Lady E Quartet (with Dean Roberts and Tim Barnes) and various formulations of Jackie-O Motherfucker. An excellent document of an amazing ongoing project!
RealAudio clip: MATTHEW VALENTINE "Jud The Obscure"
RealAudio clip: TONO-BUNGAY "SCZPLK"
RealAudio clip: LADY E QUARTET "Courtship Of Fangoso Lagoons"

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol. 15: Power Energy "On the High Wire" (Contact) cd 14.98
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Things have been rather quiet from the U.S. Pop Life camp for quite some time, but Contact Records ringleader Yoko Sawai bursts back with two new compilations (complete with visuals). A huge U.S. pop music fan, she moved to New York from Osaka a couple of years ago, and has been tirelessly releasing cds of diverse indie music with the intent to introduce Japanese kids to the American bands she loves. Basically each release is themed geographic or stylistic - whatever catches her fancy. Initially they leaned towards soft'n'twee pop, but over the years they've gotten progressively more abrasive and angstful. Volume 15 is no exception! It contains a stellar cast of very now, blisterin' bands like the Liars (exclusive track), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hella, Erase Errata, the Cherry Valence, and Enon (exclusive track). Please note: many tracks are previously (or soon to be) released in the U.S. however it's her hope that her comps will turn some Japanese kids onto the bands' albums from which these songs came. On this side of the Pacific however, they're the equivalent of a kickass comp tape from your friend Yoko.
RealAudio clip: LIARS "Bones So Clean You Want To Kiss Them"
RealAudio clip: PLATE TECTONICS "Defrost"

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol. 16: Extension of Electro "White Spaces Convergence" (Contact) cd 14.98
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Things have been rather quiet from the U.S. Pop Life camp for quite some time, but Contact Records ringleader Yoko Sawai bursts back with two new compilations (complete with visuals). A huge U.S. pop music fan, she moved to New York from Osaka a couple of years ago, and has been tirelessly releasing cds of diverse indie music with the intent to introduce Japanese kids to the American bands she loves. Basically each release is themed geographic or stylistic - whatever catches her fancy. Initially they leaned towards soft'n'twee pop, but over the years they've gotten progressively more abrasive and angstful. Oh, and don't be mislead by the titles! She does take quite a few liberties with band categorization. For example, this one, "Extension Of Electro" features few artists who fall under or near the genre "electro", but somehow Yoko's enthusiasm overrides any urge to be nitpicky. Volume 16 contains a dozen tracks including ones by Soviet, Yume Bitsu, Thievery Corporation, Andrew Duke and Ghost Orchids. Please note: many tracks are previously (or soon to be) released in the U.S. however it's her hope that her comps will turn some Japanese kids onto the bands' albums from which these songs came. On this side of the Pacific however, they're the equivalent of a nicely packaged comp tape from your friend Yoko.
RealAudio clip: GHOST ORCHIDS "Carrier"
RealAudio clip: YUME BITSU AND DAVE LONGSTRETH "Reggae Mind Camera"

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.11: Looking for the Perfect Glass - California Post Punk (Contact) cd 16.98
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This disc is a Japanese import compilation with several familiar bands on it, including !!!, The Locust, OCS (local Tapas connoisseur, ex-Burmese fruitcake and current irritant for Pink & Brown John Dwyer), GoGoGo Airheart, Church Steps, Tristeza, Rumah Sakit, Out Hud, Tarentel and more. Most of the tracks are previously released, or forthcoming, with the exception of the Tarentel track and the Locust track (recorded live during their tour of Japan.)

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.14: Explanation Of Scientific Explosion - Chicago/Midwest (Contact) cd 14.98
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This time around Japanese music fanatic Yoko Sawai and her label Contact Records shine the spotlight brightly on the Chicago/Midwest U.S. indie world. Illuminated by its beam are 17 prime examples of the area's angstful, emo, post punk, and predominantly boy bands including Owls, Dianogah, Sweep The Leg Johnny, 90 Day Men, Toe, Vermont, Pele, Milemarker, A-Set and Atombombpocketknife.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.1: Counterattack Of U.S. Indie (Contact) cd 16.98
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The very first volume of this wonderful pop series from Contact Records. A gal with a great love for American lo-fi pop, Yoko Sawai the sweetie pie behind this Osaka, Japan indie label, has gathered a more-than-lovely array of aural sweets. Highlights of these two dozen songs include the gorgeous, soaring gem Ninotchka's "I've Got Wings" (fyi, this cd is almost worth getting for this song alone! Previously available only on a 7" from Grimsey Records.), the super perky "Just Like Henry" by Dressy Bessy, and Of Montreal's fragile "It's Easy To Sleep When You're Dead". Also happily present: Aislers Set, Silver Scooter, and Kittycraft. Note: some of these tracks are previously released in the U.S.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.2: Fanfare Of 2000 (Contact) cd 16.98
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The second installation of this American pop series from Japan. Much more eclectic than volume one. Quite a few familiar faces: Macha, Beachwood Sparks, I Am Spoonbender, Bright Eyes, The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, Elf Power, and The Music Tapes. And yes, we should let you know that a number of these tracks are previously released domestically.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.5: Invention To Be Nobody & Nowhere - Athens (Contact) cd 16.98
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Usually Contact Records' boss Yoko Sawai can be found waving the pretty, sugar pop flag, but every once in a while she throws a bit of a twist into the works. Like rocking out front and center at a slew of heavy-duty The Locust / I Am Spoonbender / Convocation Of shows, or releasing this "experimental" music compilation in her U.S. Pop Life series. While the artists on this compilation are far from we would call experimental (no Maurizio Bianchis or Francisco Lopezs here), they definitely gently push the edges of Yoko's pop envelope. 16 tracks including Arab on Radar, The Faint, Swirlies, Lightning Bolt, Kilowatthours. Note: as with other U.S. Pop Life collections, some tracks have been previously released.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.7: Random Access Music Machine - Experimental (Contact) cd 16.98
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Contact Records head mistress Yoko Sawai recently made the mighty move from Osaka to New York City, but has shown no sign of slowing in her quest to compile a slew of cool, eclectic pop pursuits from all over the globe. Some of her recent releases included a cd from Calvin, Don't Jump! as well as 7"s from I Am Spoonbender and Yuji Oniki. On this the fifth volume of her U.S. Pop Life series, she focuses on Athens, GA. The track listing reads like a who's who of the Elephant 6 / Kindercore world including The Sunshine Fix (lead by former Olivia Tremor Controller Bill Doss), Japancakes, Of Montreal, and I Am The World Trade Center. Twenty tracks in all, many previously released in the U.S.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.8: Journey To The End Of Twilight - North East (Contact) cd 16.98
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Volume 8 of the U.S. Pop Life Series throws the spotlight on bands from the northeastern states: Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island to be exact. Decidedly less sweet than others in the series, this disc features songs from Rainer Maria, Lilys, Lenola, and Rebuilthangartheory. Please note: some tracks are previously released domestically.

V/A Ultra Chicks Vol. 3: Baby Pop! cd 14.98
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Fabulous comp of FRENCH girl groups doing ever so cool Sixties pop. Recommended!

V/A Ultra Chicks Vol. 4: Ye Ye Girls! cd 14.98
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Fabulous comp of FRENCH girl groups doing ever so cool Sixties pop. Recommended!

V/A Ultra Chicks Vol. 6 cd 14.98
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Finally, the next volume in the amazing Ultra Chicks series. More fabulous FRENCH girl groups doing cool and sexy Sixties pop. As usual, this is super limited, of dubious legality (definitely a bootleg) and totally recommended. Don't delay though, not sure how long we can keep these in stock!
RealAudio clip: VAN DE BURGHT, REGGY "Eenzaam Op't Leidseplein"
RealAudio clip: CASELLI, CATERINE "Sono Qui Con Voi"

V/A Ultra Chicks, volume 5 cd 14.98
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Volume 5 in the popular Ultra Chicks series which compiles underground French girlpop tunes that would've been consigned only to memory were it not for the intrepid loyalty of one guy that's compiling these tracks onto disc and pressing them in small quantities. We usually run out of this series within days after it arrives, so don't delay.
RealAudio clip: MANON "Si Vous Connaissez Quelque Chose..."

V/A Ultra Eczema 60 (Ultra Eczema) cd + magazine 22.00

V/A Un Hommage A Moondog (trAce) cd 23.00
With 2006 coming to an end, one of the things we are happiest about this year is that now, seven years after his passing, Moondog is finally starting to get some of the recognition, praise, and attention his amazing music deserves. This tribute album put out by the French label, trAce, is one of those rare compilations, which feature mostly artists we had never heard of (we already liked Jean-Jacque Birge and Ilitch, but Groupe d'Essai 3, Konki Duet, Stefan Laktos, Xenia Narati, Dragibus, et.al. are new to us) all of which ended up blowing us away! A lot of Moondog's uniqueness, comes from his highly individual use of percussion, his strong Native American and African influence as well as his deep appreciation of classical music, and the artists on this homage to Moondog totally get it. A wide range of sounds and perspectives capturing the great scope of sound that Moondog employed. Being both challenging and rewarding, experimental yet so totally listenable and pleasing.
Interspersed with short snippets of Moondog speaking, culled from an interview for Radio Triad in 1971, it's so nice to actually feel his presence on this record. Moondog's music has this way of being able to totally entrance, romance, and sweep one off their feet. Creating a world that is playful yet totally intense. We're so happy to report that this tribute to the genius of Moondog reaches that special space. So rare that a tribute album is able to do that, but in this case, this is not merely some people playing someone else's songs, this is the work of people whose souls and way of looking at music have been totally enriched by the magic of Moondog and this record feels like such a perfect way to celebrate his legacy.
MPEG Stream: STEFAN LAKATOS "Snaketime Rattle"
MPEG Stream: LES PRODUCTIONS DE L'INVISIBLE "Ceux Qui Inventment"
MPEG Stream: MOONDOG "Interview: I Had A Dog"
MPEG Stream: GUILAUME LOIZILLON "Tribal Tribute"

V/A Undecided (PSF) cd 22.00
Six of Japan's most out-there solo sonic performers each get a ten-minute-or-so track apiece on this new PSF compilation, Undecided. It's subtitled "JMSA Presents Wave from Free Music" but since that's about all it says here in English, your guess is as good as ours as to what that means exactly, although we surmise that the pieces here were recorded live at some festival. The six idiosyncratic voices contributing to this compilation are: Keiji Haino grinding out a dissonant hurdy gurdy drone, Imai Kazuo meditating on some very quiet guitar, Ohkuchi Junichiro playing some dreamy, abstract piano, Satoh Michihiro plucking his traditional tsugaruzyamisen, Otomo Yoshihide making a severe noise racket with turntables and guitar, and Urabe Masayoshi taking this disc's final step into the void with alto sax and breath. While the extremes represented here -- from the gentle sounds of Junichiro's piano to the scraping din of Haino's hurdy gurdy and who knows what else -- means that this doesn't exactly flow that well from track to track, the contents of this disc represent a fine sampler of the work of these very individual individuals. And the cd booklet is filled with beautiful black and white photography of the performers along with Japanese-language text.
MPEG Stream: KEIJI HAINO "Undecided track 1"
MPEG Stream: OHKUCHI JUNICHIRO "Undecided track 3"

V/A Under The Coconut Tree (Original Music) cd 13.98
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"Cayman has a remarkable fiddle tradition with US country & Scottish roots, and Creole drumming under Tortola's fungii group mix of guitar of mandolin with washtub-bass"-John Storm Roberts / Original Music.

V/A Underwater Peoples Summertime Showcase 2009 (Underwater Peoples) cd 4.98
First cd release from this new-ish label specializing in that sort of woozy lo-fi pop sound that seems to be sweeping the nation, aQ included. Anyone into Blank Dogs, John Maus, Ariel Pink, Ducktails, Zola Jesus, Gary War, as well as other garage-y pop rockers like Oh Sees, the Intelligence, Ganglians, etc., will find that this awesome, bargain priced comp will probably hit the spot big time.
A few names we know, Ducktails, Julian Lynch, but a WHOLE bunch we don't (ahem, Frat Dad), but everything here taps into that same sort of DIY, broken 4-track, warped and twisted pop aesthetic that drives the above mentioned fave.
Frat Dad for instance, besides having the WORST band name, and the WORST song title ("Brosef") comes up with some cool reverby garage pop that would sound right at home between your Ty Segall record and your Oh Sees record. Pill Wonder are cool too, their songs sounding like Guided By Voices covering Beach Boys, all squiggly feed back and blown out bass wrapped around skittery drums and jangly guitars, and buried sort of lush harmonies. Real Estate are more songy, employing som reverb and delay, but for the most part relying less on texture and production, offering up two really nice twangy jams, one sort of rocking, one laid back and sort of Morricone-esque. Julian Lynch, a sometime collaborator with many aQ pop faves, has recently surfaced as an artist in his own right, and his tracks here are cool too, the Ducktails-ish calypso tropical pop of "Banana Jam Pt. 1" and the fuzzy loping indie dirge of "Droplet On A Hot Stone", with its distorted vocals and stumbling drums, wheezing synths, and murky ambience. It's all pretty good. Especially for all you who have been digging this particular sound lately, which we know is a LOT of you. Also included here are jams by Broken Trees, Liam The Younger, Andrew Cedermark, Family Portrait, Dana Jewell and Sad City.
A steal at $5!
MPEG Stream: JULIAN LYNCH "Banana Jam Pt. 1"
MPEG Stream: REAL ESTATE "Beach Comber"
MPEG Stream: FRAT DAD "Brosef"
MPEG Stream: PILL WONDER "Wishing Whale"