V/A Bird Songs (B-Music / Finders Keepers) 10" 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
All right! We managed to acquire a few more copies of this limited edition Record Store Day vinyl item from a Finders Keepers connection of ours, so we're now able to list it. Only a handful in stock, though, and we won't be getting any more. It's a 10" compilation featuring six female songbirds (as it were), or flocks of songbirds, from around the world, in the feminine freak/folk/funk fashion you'd expect, some of these lovely ladies hailing from the '70s, some happenin' now but still sounding like they belong on vintage vinyl...
From the modern day, there's samplings of the Vashti Bunyan inspired fairy tale folk of Magpahi (aka Alison Cooper), Italian troubadour Emma Tricca, and Misty Dixon's Jane Weaver, all of whom you might know from the B-Music Bearded Ladies comp.
Dug up from way back when, rare tracks from Iron Curtain era Polish girl group Ali Babki, Welsh teens Sidan, and the lovely Soledad Miranda, best known as an actress from the sexy cult horror flick Vampyros Lesbos! That one's a real standout, can't wait for the B-Music full-length Soledad anthology coming up!
Limited to 1000 copies, a 2010 RSD special.

V/A Bite Harder: The Music De Wolfe Studio Sampler Volume 2 (De Wolfe Music Library) cd 17.98
The last volume of De Wolfe Library grooves we had went out of print pretty fast, so don't hesitate on this one if you are so inclined. This is actually not the sequel to Jason Willet's DJ-curated Music De Wolfe Vol. 1 we listed a couple of years ago, but the sequel to a comp we didn't carry called Bite Hard, now sadly gone. Only two of the songs on Music De Wolfe vol. 1 appear here. The De Wolfe Studio (aka Music De Wolfe Sound Library) began in 1909 as a studio for music to accompany silent films, but it's heyday was in the seventies as the go-to studio for killer crime funk. Spy chases, criminal action films and tense moody thrillers were De Wolfe's specialty and have since been key source material for many hip-hop samples from Kool G. Rap, High & Mighty and Cam'ron. Compiled by Joel Martin, the record nut behind the Dawn of the Dead unreleased soundtrack music (all of those cues too were from the De Wolfe library) and Warren De Wolfe, this is the first compilation to be released directly from the De Wolfe studio. Let's hope there's plenty more!
MPEG Stream: LUDOVIC DECOSNE & PIERRE DAUBRESSE "The Gloaming"
MPEG Stream: PETER RENO "Silver Thrust"
MPEG Stream: SIMON HASELEY "Hammerheads"
MPEG Stream: SIMON PARK "Motives 1"
MPEG Stream: JOHN SAUNDERS "Myriad"

V/A Biting On Ravecore (Fukdup / Reactionary) lp 11.98
From the sam e label that brought us that amazing Shitmat grunge cover split (the one that came packaged in actual flannel shirts!) comes this new vinyl only comp of totally fucked up and genius junglized drill and bass ravecore, featuring the best Shitmat track in ages!
A sort of cover of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" but all sped up and doused in drum damage with manic synth stabs and chopped up jungle beats and that Oasis track is all cut up so the line about "getting high" is repeated over and over, all tangled up with Shitmat's completely insane spastic beat freakout. So good. And the rest ain't so shabby either. Mochipet offers up a murky and manic jam, plenty of glitch, pounding beat, all sorts of garbled sounds, chopped up samples, eventually transforming into a crazed jungle blowout. The Foxdye take a Pointer Sisters track, speed it up, twist it all around, add some seriously frenzied drill and bass, and turn it into the dance party JAM OF THE YEAR for sure!
The flipside is pretty great too, Blaerg revs up some FM radio chestnut dousing it in THICK jungle bass and wild spastic drum skitter. The H8RS go all old school rave but add plenty of jungle, the whole thing getting all stuttery and skittery. Graz offers up some classic nineties style jungle rave, and finally Selector Catalogue takes some old school B-Boy jam, revs it up, flips the speed to 78, adds a heap of distortion, and tangles the whole thing into a gnarled squall of hiccupping stop start, ultra dense skipping and stuttering droned out fractured drum damaged ravecore. Fuck yeah.
Gorgeous packaging too. Eye popping full color cartoon cover, each one hand customized, and each one hand numbered (LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!!!), pressed on thick green and yellow swirled vinyl.

V/A Black & Proud Vol. 1 (Trikont) 2lp 28.00

V/A Black & White Hillbilly Music (Trikont) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Crackling recordings from the 1920s and '30s of wonderful harmonica-based tunes accompanied by some banjo, fiddle, guitar and creaky, weathered voices from every nook and cranny of the country. Many of the people whose music graces this compilation were not performing musicians by day - some were doctors, some were school teachers. There's even an unknown duet. Each track resonates with the love of storytelling and of playing music with whatever means were at hand.
RealAudio clip: WOODIE BROTHERS "Chased Old Satan Through the Door"

V/A Black Bean & Placenta Sampler #4 (Blackbean & Placenta) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

V/A Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration Of Fela Kuti (Now-Again) cd 19.98
No doubt about it, the legacy and inspiration of Fela Kuti's music ranks right up their with The Beatles and James Brown in terms of how much of an impact and lasting impression it has left on music of future generations. Without Fela there wouldn't have been Afro-beat as we know it. And luckily so many of the musicians he has influenced produce sounds with the same kind of fire, intensity and rhythm that he laid the blueprints for. This awesome compilation brings together the best of Fela's disciples from many areas on the globe including Nigeria, Columbia, Ghana, Trinidad, New York, and more.
This is exactly how we like our Afro-beat, raw, super charged and full of uncompromising power. It's impossible not to move to these rich groove filled burners. What's extra awesome and exciting is that most of these artists are new to our ears, besides Daktaris, the Whitefield Brothers,and Bola Johnson we really hadn't heard of many of these folks and damn they are all blowing us away! Lever Brothers, Gay Flamingoes, Lisandro Meza, Segun Bucknoh, Phirpo Y Sus Caribes....now we want to get our hands on all of their stuff! Most of the tracks on here are previously unreleased and while the cd is packaged lovingly in a small hardcover book with photos and liner notes, the vinyl is packaged in a totally amazing over the top box set with the music divvied up over four 10" records with a 24 page book packed with the same amazing photos and liner notes. So on fire and so highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: LISANDRO MEZA "Shacalao"
MPEG Stream: LEVER BROTHERS GAY FLAMINGOES "Egbi Mi O/Black Man's Cry (Medley)"
MPEG Stream: PHIRPO Y SUS CARIBES "Comencemos"
MPEG Stream: JERRY HANSEN "Adebo"

V/A Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration Of Fela Kuti (Now-Again) 4x10" box set 53.00
No doubt about it, the legacy and inspiration of Fela Kuti's music ranks right up their with The Beatles and James Brown in terms of how much of an impact and lasting impression it has left on music of future generations. Without Fela there wouldn't have been Afro-beat as we know it. And luckily so many of the musicians he has influenced produce sounds with the same kind of fire, intensity and rhythm that he laid the blueprints for. This awesome compilation brings together the best of Fela's disciples from many areas on the globe including Nigeria, Columbia, Ghana, Trinidad, New York, and more.
This is exactly how we like our Afro-beat, raw, super charged and full of uncompromising power. It's impossible not to move to these rich groove filled burners. What's extra awesome and exciting is that most of these artists are new to our ears, besides Daktaris, the Whitefield Brothers,and Bola Johnson we really hadn't heard of many of these folks and damn they are all blowing us away! Lever Brothers, Gay Flamingoes, Lisandro Meza, Segun Bucknoh, Phirpo Y Sus Caribes....now we want to get our hands on all of their stuff! Most of the tracks on here are previously unreleased and while the cd is packaged lovingly in a small hardcover book with photos and liner notes, the vinyl is packaged in a totally amazing over the top box set with the music divvied up over four 10" records with a 24 page book packed with the same amazing photos and liner notes. So on fire and so highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: LISANDRO MEZA "Shacalao"
MPEG Stream: LEVER BROTHERS GAY FLAMINGOES "Egbi Mi O/Black Man's Cry (Medley)"
MPEG Stream: PHIRPO Y SUS CARIBES "Comencemos"
MPEG Stream: JERRY HANSEN "Adebo"

V/A Black Mirror: Reflections In Global Musics (Dust-To-Digital) cd 16.98
Arab-American violin; Thai Buddhist ritual performance; One of the first commercial recordings of Bali Gamelan; Northumbrian bagpipes; a Hindu Tamil Wedding song; a French Cameroun Rhumba; a scene from a Chinese Opera; a Turkish folk-dance song; Hutzl wedding music from the Ukraine; An unearthly theme from a supernatural Indian soundtrack; a ten-year-old Swedish girl singing with a zither...
What do these and many other far-flung sounds on this compilation have to do with each other? Are they the results of meticulous years of travel, recording, and collecting in the field? Well, no. Were they extracted from some archivist's well-researched collection of indigenous music? Um, not exactly. What these sounds do have in common is they are all culled from 78 rpm recordings made between 1918-1955; feature artists and ensembles from all over the world, mostly Europe, Asia and the Middle East (though some tracks were recorded in America); and come from the collection of one person, Ian Nagoski, who admittedly made no special efforts to find them. Instead the music found him. Never traveling more than 30 minutes from his home in the US, never buying through mail and not spending very much money, Nagoski has been able to amass an incredible collection of global treasures, finding gems through diligence, patience and perseverance that most antique record collectors wouldn't have the stamina to suffer through. Looking at some of the reproductions of the labels, some with only hand-written words, we can only imagine at how many hours of guesswork, collecting and concentrated listening Nagoski must have endured to filter the wheat from the chaff. Well-researched liner notes give clues to the origins of these 24 tracks, and Dust-to-Digital have done a fine job of cleaning up the sound (some might say a little too well -- there's nothing wrong with a little vinyl crackle here and there!). But what's really nice is to listen to a collection of songs that are not thematically arranged or compiled within a specifically defined ethno-musical context. Just these strange and beautiful documents of lost worlds colliding together discovered through the displaced happenstance of chance. Giving us hope that there are still undiscovered musical gold within our grasp. Highly recommended!
Oh, and we wanted to mention one song in particular, which everytime it's played in the store has customers and employees alike perking up their ears at its strange almost creepy beauty. It's music from a Japanese Kabuki, called "Songs In Grief", performed by Sinkou Son & Kouran Kin, and it's perhaps the most haunting beautiful thing we've ever heard. Mysterious little vocal trills, strange chanting, a bit like Elizabeth Clare Prophet, but so much more haunting and enchanting. It gives us chills everytime we hear it, and even if the rest of the comp wasn't so absolutely amazing, would be worth the price of admission alone!
MPEG Stream: GONG BELALOEWANA BALI "Kebyar Ding, I (Bali)"
MPEG Stream: PAUL PENDJA ENSEMBLE "Ngo Mebou Melane (Cameroun)"
MPEG Stream: HUTZL UKRANIAN ENSEMBLE "Welsisni Melodyi (Ukraine)"
MPEG Stream: LATA MANGESHKAR "Aayega Aanewaala (India)"
MPEG Stream: CHRISTER FALKENSTROM "Baklandets Vackra Maja (Sweden)"

V/A Black On Black: A Tribute To Black Flag (Initial) cd 14.98
Tributes are always sort of a tough call. Sometimes you'd rather just hear the originals, or sometimes there's one great version in a sea of total shit. So we're happy to report, that this tribute to Black Flag succeeds on several levels. First, it's Black Flag!! I mean, c'mon, Black Flag rule! And of course deserve to be covered, as well as worshipped. The downside of that though, is that Black Flag are so good, it almost seems pointless to cover them. But it is a covers compilation so that point is moot I suppose. And the selection of bands here is pretty strong, lots of AQ faves (Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Coalesce, Burnt By The Sun) and lots of pretty kick ass lesser-knowns (Anodyne, Playing Enemy, Planes Mistaken For Stars). All of whom give us REALLY HEAVY versions of songs we already love. Not all that different (except maybe Dillinger's sort-of-jungle version of Damaged II) but all really good. So it really depends on where you stand on tribute compilations. But metalcore's finest covering pnk rock's finest...you could do a lot worse.
MPEG Stream: DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN "Damaged I & II"
MPEG Stream: CONVERGE "Annihilate This Week"

V/A Black Rio: Brazil Soul Power 1971-1980 (Strut) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oh boy, can the stellar reissue label Strut do no wrong? Doubtful, cos they just keep coming out with amazing compilations and reissues, unearthing the most forgotten genres and movements mostly taken from the seventies. There's the Disco Not Disco comp, the two Club Africa collections, and collections from Blo ('70s Nigerian funk), Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo band (sampled up the wazoo), the four mighty Tony Allen (Fela percussionist) albums finally on disc, and the recent Grandmaster Flash party mix.
Now they've compiled the first ever look back at the best of Black Rio, that movement in the seventies that saw young black Brazilians getting political and turning away from the far-too-commercial samba in favor of James Brown. This is funky soul music, and the tracks here are so fun. There's everything from hard gritty funk to smooth soul to an unlikely instrumental cover of "Rapper's Delight" (the last sample below)! And as with all the Strut releases, there are voluminous liner notes placing the entire musical movement in a clear context, as well as lots of photos. Highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: MIGUEL DE DEUS "Cinco Anos"
RealAudio clip: JORGE BEN "Comanche"
RealAudio clip: GANG DO TAGARELA "Melo da Tagarela (Rapper's Delight)"

V/A Black Rio: Brazil Soul Power 1971-1980 (Strut) 2lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oh boy, can the stellar reissue label Strut do no wrong? Doubtful, cos they just keep coming out with amazing compilations and reissues, unearthing the most forgotten genres and movements mostly taken from the seventies. There's the Disco Not Disco comp, the two Club Africa collections, and collections from Blo ('70s Nigerian funk), Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo band (sampled up the wazoo), the four mighty Tony Allen (Fela percussionist) albums finally on disc, and the recent Grandmaster Flash party mix.
Now they've compiled the first ever look back at the best of Black Rio, that movement in the seventies that saw young black Brazilians getting political and turning away from the far-too-commercial samba in favor of James Brown. This is funky soul music, and the tracks here are so fun. There's everything from hard gritty funk to smooth soul to an unlikely instrumental cover of "Rapper's Delight" (the last sample below)! And as with all the Strut releases, there are voluminous liner notes placing the entire musical movement in a clear context, as well as lots of photos. Highly recommended.

V/A Black Stars: Ghanas Hiplife Generation (Out There) cd 16.98
Black Stars: Ghana's Hiplife Generation is a challenging, and possibly rewarding collection of tunes from the last five odd years comprised of, as the title would indicate, "hiplife" music from Ghana. But what is hiplife? you may ask, and apparently that's the question this compilation sets out to answer. Clearly, as is often the case in the game of inventing and naming new musical genres, we're dealing with the sometimes awkward, and other times ecstatic middle ground between two already canonized genres, in this case "highlife" and "hiphop". Stateside, having recently savored and suffered contemporary permutations of highlife via The Dirty Projectors and Vampire Weekend, as well as receiving a handful of uncorruptably good vintage highlife collections from the Soundways label, it seems ripe time to check in with what's happening to highlife on its mother content. The results are mixed. In general the affair is very much an energetic and confused amalgam of hip-hop, dancehall, reggaeton, a little bit of textured bloop and bleep, sampled and looped highlife guitar, and even at times some of the spare synthesized organicism and mystique of dubstep. In all cases however, there is nothing of the gritty texture, glow, and blown out splendor of vintage highlife that has been so endlessly loved and fetishised in the United States. The palette is rigorously pop, and even at times, to our ears strikingly childish. Think Disney's somewhat jingoistic take on African music in the Lion King, or even for those deep lovers of early '90s cartoons, Tailspin! So, if that variety of positive freneticism is your bag, and you want to know what's up in Ghana, then come along. Also, if you're just in a curious and actively transcendent mood, you might enjoy this for its educational value as well. However, to all others, consider this a mere suggestion, not required listening.
MPEG Stream: TIC TAC "Kangaroo"
MPEG Stream: TINNY "Aletse Ogboo"

V/A Black Summer Mix Tape Vol. 1 (Black Summer) cassette 4.98

V/A Black Summer Mix Tape Vol. 1 (Black Summer) cassette 4.98

V/A Blackened Volume 2 (PHD) 2cd 18.98
An inexpensive double cd collection of over twenty of the world's most evilly evil black metal outfits. A true pantheon of Satanic art: Abigor, Dissection, Satyricon, Enthroned, Impaled Nazarene, Emperor and many others.

V/A Blank Field (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98

V/A Blank Generation / Dancing Barefoot dvd 25.00
The cult '70s New York punk film Blank Generation sees a reissue on the spankin' new DVD format. With rare, you-were-there shots of the bands on stage and off, there's Television, Blondie, Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith Group, The Heartbreakers, The Dolls, Wayne County, Shirts, Tuff Darts, and more. While the film quality is b&w, grainy, funny, and great, it has to be mentioned that none of it is in sync with the music, in fact I don't think the music corresponds at all with the visuals, beyond the fact that it's the same band. So I'd say this is great for your next house party to just put on for people to mingle around, but paying close attention might be a bit frustrating. Comes packaged with the Patti Smith vehicle Dancing Barefoot.

V/A Blax-Plosion: A Collection of Classic Funk (Charly) 2cd 17.98
Indeed. '70s funk/jazz/proto-rap comp, with some not-so-big names as well as famous folks (but tending towards their more obscure output of the latter). Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, The Last Poets, The Meters, Lightnin' Rod, JB-refugees Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker, Jimmy McGriff, Bobby Womack, Skull Snaps, Ripple, Mavis Staples, The Jungle Band, Sir Joe Quarterman, Jean Knight, and others -- even Buddy Rich (doin' Herbie's "Chameleon"). We haven't tested it out yet, but we're sure it'd be great for a party if you didn't have the time to make your own mix discs...

V/A Blip, Bleep (Soundtracks to Imaginary Videogames) (Lucky Kitchen) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE. SORRY
Completely charming compilation of soundtracks to imaginary video games! Yes it is as good as it sounds, very intense yet harmless and fun at the same time. Besides the music, the best part of the package is the descriptions of the games, truly stuff worthy of Kool Keith's crazy brain, for example: "FAMILY TREE POLO: Bounce through time in your ambulance. Save your injury prone ancestors so you may eventually be born." For full game descriptions, see www.luckykitchen.com. Features contributions from: Nick Birmingham & Daniel Beattie (UK, Hot Air/Spymania), V/VM (Manchester UK), Soundcard (UK, Spymania), Colongib, Egghatcher, Jake Mandell (Worm Interface), Personal Electronics, Tim Kotch, Marumari, Blitter vs. Hrvatski (Reckankreuzungsklankewerkzeuge), Flexible Products, Aerospace, Flatline Racing System, Stupid Lepton, Wheaton Research, Suetsu & Underwood, Underwood. Crucial underground electronic scenarios, charmingly packaged in a perversely non-video-game-aesthetic hand-sewn felt envelope. Limited to 746 numbered copies. A contender for "album of the week".

V/A Blitzing The Ballroom: 20 UK Power Glam Incendiaries (Psychic Circle) cd 16.98
20 tracks as awesome as "Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet?? Well, no, not quite. That would be a tall order. But this Blitzing The Ballroom comp (subtitled 20 UK Power Glam Incendiaries) does boast quite a few corkers. Stormers. Blitzes. Whatever the glam slang is for kicking ass (with bubblegum stuck to yer boots). And, like the '60 garage psych before it that so many previous Psychic Circle comps have dug into, '70s glam's definitely a genre that works great in the various artists compilation format. So many one-hit-wonders (or one-hit-wannabes), you can fill a comp with killer songs from bands (or "recording projects") that made just one or two singles, taking their shot at the top of the pops and then disappeared faster than a melting ice cream cone in the summertime heat. While The Sweet, Slade, T-Rex, and a few other greats from the glam scene have stood the test of time, so many obscurities have been forgotten. And that's what this comp concentrates on, bands with such disposable, adolescent-appeal names as Frenzy, Tiger, Panther, Screemer, Giggles, Stumpy... Nope, never heard of 'em either, but Blitzing The Ballroom demonstrates they're each worth 2-3 minutes of your time. And despite the bubblegum goofiness, they are all examples of glam ROCK. The back cover blurb accurately speaks of the "harder edge" that a lot of these selections share (hence the words "power" and "incendiaries" in this disc's subtitle). Maybe not headbanging but definitely hard rockin' with a silly grin on yer face.
As per usual with the many fine comps from the Psychic Circle label (so many we'll never get to 'em all, but cherrypick our faves), this comes complete with full-color graphics and informative liner notes on each track in the cd booklet, often tracing these acts back to their members' origins in the the '60s pop psych scene, or following their fortunes forward into the punk rock/new wave era. Screemer, for instance, featured a ex-member of heavy Hendrixy NZ rockers Human Instinct. And there's a track here by Peter Dunton, the vocalist/drummer who earlier on was a member of AQ fave proto-metal, prog-psych trio T2! (His track actually doesn't seem all that glam, sounding much like the calm, melodic heavy psych of T2, but that's cool too).
Hmm. Now that they've ventured into the glam singles scene of the early/mid '70s, can we look forward to Psychic Circle bringing us a NWOBHM comp of heavier stuff from later in the decade?? We wonder...
MPEG Stream: ABACUS "Indian Dancer"
MPEG Stream: BULLFROG "Glancy"
MPEG Stream: TIGER "I'm An Animal"

V/A Bloody War: Songs 1924-1939 (Tompkins Square) cd 16.98
We sure are glad to have labels like Tompkins Square. They've proven to be masters at putting together amazing compilations that go way beyond simply throwing together a bunch of old songs. With recent favorites like Fire In My Bones and Unheard Ofs & Forgotten Abouts, this label has gone about documenting great, sometimes very obscure music, while also placing a strong emphasis on its social and historical importance. While these songs will not be mistaken for anything in the modern era, it is clear that they remain an essential part of pretty much everyone's story; the themes on display here are inseparable from our reality.
Bloody War compiles American folk songs recorded in the wake of World War I - ya know, the "war to end all wars" - stopping on the eve of the even bigger shitstorm we call World War II. The songs themselves are part of a lineage of war themed music that stretches back through the ages of America's conflicts, starting with the Civil War. Some of this material is suitably bleak, but more surprising is how hopeful, even humorous, much of it is. We today can envy these sentiments, since we all know things have gotten so much worse. Thinking how warfare has changed so drastically and become way less... um, "personal", it is easy to imagine the unifying power of songs like Tom Darby and Jimmie Tarlton's "The Rainbow Division" (named after the 42nd Infantry Division of the National Guard that would "stretch over the country like a rainbow"), where thousands of men battled it out together, side by side. Likewise, John Carson's "Dixie Division" draws on the Southern pride remaining from the Civil War (disagreeable as most people buying this comp will find that to be) and uses it as a rallying cry to Southern regiments in Europe. Other numbers tackle the crushing realities of war, like the starkly titled "He Is Coming To Us Dead" by G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter, a song that is actually quite upbeat sounding in its instrumentation. Other songs of course focus on bringing the troops home - something we can all relate to - like the self-explanatory "Everybody Help The Boys Come Home" by William and Versey Smith.
Stylistically, you get plenty of masterfully played guitars, fiddles, and banjos, something we can all get behind. We certainly appreciate the historical context of these songs, but they are also simply a joy to listen to. It would be nice but naive to say that humanity has learned from its past mistakes. But if one thing is certain, war will always give us something to sing about. Too bad people like Toby Keith came to that realization too. That guy sucks. Bloody War does NOT.
It should also be mentioned that proceeds from this compilation benefit the organization Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.
MPEG Stream: JIMMY YATES' BOLL WEAVILS "Bloody War"
MPEG Stream: TOM DARBY & JIMMIE TARLTON "The Rainbow Division"
MPEG Stream: FIDDLIN' JOHN CARSON & HIS VIRGINIA REELERS "Dixie Division"
MPEG Stream: EARL JOHNSON & HIS CLODHOPPERS "Johnnie, Get Your Gun"

V/A Blow Your Cool: 20 Prog / Psych Assaults From The UK & Europe (Psychic Circle) cd 16.98
The record-collecting excess of Nick Saloman (Mr. Bevis Frond) pays off for all of us once again, as he presents yet another collection of groovy old '60s/'70s tracks from rare vinyl that he's compiled for the Psychic Circle label. Blow Your Cool is a sequel of sorts to Psychic Circle's winning A Visit To The Spaceship Factory comp but instead of featuring only obscure UK prog/psych gems, this ventures further afield to showcase tracks by weird/cool bands from Continental Europe as well. Thus it's definitely got something of the Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word/"B-music" vibe.
Of the 20 artists included, a few names jump out as familiar to us, and speak well to the quality of the comp. There's Cosmic Dealer (a psychedelic Dutch band who more than live up to their name, which is much better than what we're told their original moniker was: Floating Fudge), Triangle (the title track "Blow Your Cool" is by this French group, it's also on the collection from them we listed last year), Zior, Egg, Freedom, Mogul Thrash (featuring John Wetton), Les Variations (more Francias Metal de Proto we've reviewed before), Blue Beard (with "Sly Willy", also found on the Some Songs Stuck In My Mind comp we listed last week), and The Rattles (feat. Achim Reichel). Then, among the rest, quite a few new-to-us surprises, from the bombastic, poppy opening track "To Live" by Paradise Hammer from England, to the progged-out, wound-up Hendrixy heaviness of Italy's Tritons on their "Drifter". Also on here: Primitive Man, Barry Freeman & Strange Power, The Foundations, Dream Police, Ferris Wheel, Paul Ryder & Time Machine, Jess & James, Bedlam, and Swegas.
As usual, informative liner notes and graphics pertaining to each track are provided in the full-colour cd booklet. What can we say, but keep 'em coming, Nick!
MPEG Stream: COSMIC DEALER "The Scene"
MPEG Stream: PARADISE HAMMER "To Live"
MPEG Stream: MOGUL THRASH "Sleeping In The Kitchen"

V/A Blu Tribunl (Inflatabl) cd 12.98
Second installment in what's now apparently a series. Two years ago (to the day, oddly enough) we wrote about the Dub Tribunl CD on Inflatabl. That disc featured Atom Heart, The Rip Off Artist and Small Rocks (Matt Wand of Stock, Hausen & Walkman) and consisted of fairly off kilter, if not outright irreverent homages to Jamaican dub. This time round The Rip Off Artist is joined by Akufen and Freeform and the genre being dismantled is the Blues. 78 rpm discs meet the modern age head on. You ever chuck a 78 at a laptop? They shatter into pieces. Those silly shellac discs are no match for the durable plastic material they make laptops out of these days. Stupid 78's! Blues sources are mixed, looped, stretched and plundered. It's sure to make the biggest analog and roots music purists cringe, but it's equally likely to put a smile on everyone else's face. A definite must for fans of Atom Heart and Stock, Hausen & Walkman.
MPEG Stream: THE RIP OFF ARTIST "What Kind of Blue"
MPEG Stream: AKUFEN "The World Wanna Know"

V/A Blue (Dreams By Degrees) cd 10.98
Jonathan Lee of the Dreams By Degrees label commissioned this compilation as synaesthesia in reverse by asking the question, "If blue could be interpreted through music, what would it sound like?" There have been many musicians and artists who have attempted to address the painterly metonym between colors and sound, all of which related each to pre-existing musical / visual cues. There's Ken Nordine's beat poetics on the emotive qualities of various colors, Derek Jarman's gut wrenching film Blue with a bluescreen as the backdrop to a narrative about the tragedies of AIDS, and Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, just to name a few. As each of those offered a unique facet to the nature of the color blue, it's unlikely that any encapsulated anything universal about that color. This Dreams By Degrees compilation similarly contexualizes their collection with a pre-existing aesthetic, here stated as ambient post-rock, emotionally naked shoegazing folk, and bleary eyed electronica. Jef Cantu of Tarentel has constructed a variety of musical interludes of pseudo-Stephan Mathieu glitchy drone transitioning between many of the contributions, providing a seemless dreamy quality to the entire album. Other contributers include Film School, L'Altra, Lazarus, Vetiver, Rivulets, Stratford 4, John Davis, Corbi Wright, Your Friend, Park Avenue Music, Vela, and Sir for an album sounds in many ways like a modern day This Mortal Coil.
MPEG Stream: FILM SCHOOL "Sick Of The Shame, Pt 2"
MPEG Stream: PARK AVENUE MUSIC "Sun = So Bright"
MPEG Stream: LAZARUS "106 Words On Wishes"

V/A Blue Explosion: Tribute To Blue Cheer (Black Widow) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As "tribute" comps go, this is a really good one. Usually a tribute succeeds only if the cover versions are really different from the originals (for instance, the pop-punk bands doing metal covers on the "I Heart Metal" tribute). At the very least there can be some humor value in that (another example: the "Red Star" comp of grunting death metal bands covering Rush!). But sometimes, the tribute works because the bands doing the tribute are well matched with the band being covered, AND it's not a band that gets a lot of cover-song attention. Such as this one. I've never heard anyone cover "Fresh Fruit & Iceburgs" before, have you?
Blue Cheer of course is the granddaddy of all metal/stoner bands, with their first two and a half classic albums still being heavier in their own way than most stuff released today. And Black Widow have put together a pretty excellent international line-up of their progeny to pay tribute. Pentagram (who are on here twice, and may as well BE Blue Cheer 'cause they do it so well!), Internal Void, Thumlock, Natas, Fireball Ministry, Ufomammut are a who's who of some of today's best doom/stoner acts. Plus there's some more obscure names from the space/prog axis as well. The only puzzle about this comp is that several bands chose to cover songs from Blue Cheer's not-so-heavy early '70s albums, which turn out well, but I can't figure out why they did that, except to be different and demonstrate what big fans they are. Still, quite a bit of 1968's "Vincebus Eruptum" and '69s "Outsideinside" is represented. Right on!
RealAudio clip: PENTAGRAM "Doctor Please"
RealAudio clip: THUMLOCK "Out Of Focus"

V/A Blue Skied An' Clear (Morr Music) 2cd 16.98
Slowdive's "Pygmalion" was the album that broke the band up and got them dumped from Creation just weeks after its release back in 1995; yet, that album has become one of the templates for the current strain of electronic melancholia. That album was ostensibly a solo album for Neil Halstead, who indulged in a majestic piece of electro-acoustic minimalism disguised as mope rock. "Pygamalion" displayed very little of the sublime tapestries of shoegazing guitars, and often blurred the fragile song structures into beautiful mirages and haunted echoes. For the business minded Creation, it was a commercial disaster and never got any serious consideration for licensing or even distribution for that matter. Which is a real shame, as it was a fantastic album.
While they didn't reissue that album, Morr Records did produce this tribute album to the Slowdive and their contribution to electronic music. Disc one of "Blue Skied An' Clear" (the name of a song off of the aformentioned "Pygmalion" album) is a collection of Slowdive covers by Morr musicians and likeminded artists. This collection as a whole - like everything on Morr - is pleasant, moody, rainy-day electronica with wistful guitars and vocals prominent in the mix. Disc two features tracks 'inspired' by Slowdive. Artists include Future 3, Isan, Lali Puna, Ulrich Schnauss, B.Fleischmann & Ms. John Soda, Limp, Solvent, Styrofoam, Skanfrom, Komeit, Manual, Herrmann & Kleine, Mum, Guitar, Populous, Icebreaker/Manual.
RealAudio clip: ULRICH SCHNAUSS "Crazy For You"
RealAudio clip: MANUAL "Blue Skied An' Clear"
RealAudio clip: ISAN "Waves"

V/A Blue Trail Of Sorrow: 16 Top Bluegrass Gems (Rounder) cd 16.98
Rounder Records does their part to continue milking the "O Brother" cash cow with 16 tracks from their back catalog. 16.98 for a label sampler? Can you say rip off? C'mon Rounder, if you want to get people's interest piqued on the bluegrass wares your label offers you should learn to introduce yourself on the cheap, like any good heroin dealer already knows. Includes a five page introduction to bluegrass, and while mentioning Bill Monroe as the cornerstone of the genre, not a single track of his is included. Hmmm... Didn't have any in your catalog, huh Rounder? Or maybe none of his songs made it into the "top 16" of bluegrass? Includes tracks from Allison Krauss, Tony Furtado, John Harford, Stanley Bros., The Cox Family, Hazel Dickens and more.

V/A Bob Blank - The Blank Generation - Blank Tapes 1975-1987 (Strut) cd 16.98
Bob Blank is one of the most unsung heroes in the history of the vibrant New York music scene of the '70s and '80s. He had such a wide ranging, amazing and colorful sound, and a massive (if under appreciated) influence like so many of the best musical minds of that era (Larry Levan, Arthur Russell, August Darnell). While his roots were for sure deep in the disco scene he had the kind of left of center disposition that allowed him to work on so many different kind of projects and with so many different, and often unexpected artists. Strut has put together a really loving collection of many of the great songs Blank helped bring to life by everyone from Lydia Lunch to Sun Ra, Lola (Arthur Russell) to Gladys Knight and more. While there is an undeniable level of funk and freespirit running through all these songs, they do all demonstrate the breadth of sound Blank was able to bring to records recorded in his legendary Blank Tapes studio located in the heart of Chelsea. Surely essential for folks who loved the recent Ze: 30 collection or the Mutant Disco and Disco Not Disco comps from the past few years. We're beyond stoked that Strut has put this collection together, not only to bring light to the amazing work that Blank created but simply as compilation, this record is just jam packed with so many super pleasing songs.
MPEG Stream: DEBBY BLACKWELL "Once You Got Me Going"
MPEG Stream: SUN RA "Where Pathways Meet (Unreleased Acetate Mix)"
MPEG Stream: AURAL EXCITERS "Emile (Night Rate)"

V/A Bob Dylan: The Best Of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour (Chrome Dreams) 2cd 21.00

V/A Boddie Recordings (Numero Group) 3 x 7" box 15.98

V/A Boil The Kettle Mother (Past & Present / Radioactive) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

V/A Bollywood Bloodbath (Finders Keepers / B-Music) cd 15.98
We were already sold on this before we even heard it, just based on the title alone, and likely you are too! And having heard it, we're all the more into it. This latest Finders Keepers/B-Music release is not just another Bollywood - or even Lollywood, or Kollywood - compilation, not that there would be anything wrong with that. Their recent Pakistani picture house collection Life Is Dance is still in heavy rotation 'round these parts, as are others of its ilk. But Bollywood Bloodbath is even better, thanks to its specific, scary theme. Cooler 'cause these songs, as you may have guessed, are all taken from the soundtracks to Hindi horror movies! Ghost stories, killer thrillers, zombiethons, that sort of thing... but unlike American slasher flicks and Italian giallo from the same period (the '70s mostly, though this disc ranges as far back as 1949, and up to the '80s), these Indian fright films are, of course, like other Bollywood productions, elaborate musicals. So the bloodbath sounds like it's taking place at the discotheque!! It's a perfect mix of the over-the-top pop groove-a-delica of the best vintage Bollywood stuff, infused with the even weirder, wilder, and wiggier sounds demanded by the horror movie genre, like shocking screams, stabbing cacophonous chords, and impassioned female vocals pleading for mercy.
Yep, it's pretty brilliant the way this collection combines two of our favorite soundtrack genres into one. Gotta give it up to compiler Andy Votel and his diligent research (involving hours and hours of viewing cheap old VHS tapes found at the Indian grocery store, no doubt), as he's dug up a delightful 'best of' from a hybrid cinematic genre we've yet to explore ourselves. And even if these songs were sourced from Z-grade movies, there's for sure some top talent involved on soundtrack side of things, including even the legendary RD Burman.
Although there's a modicum of ominous, atmospheric creepiness to be found in most of these cuts, moments that are mystical and mysterious, truth be told it's not all that frightening, as the spookiest stuff always gives way to urgent uptempo beats and zipp-zapping "seance fiction" synths, lively rock/disco orchestration and spirited singing, i.e. typical Bollywood bombast! If anything, rather than, say, John Carpenter or Goblin (our usual go-to's for suspense/horror soundtracks), some of what's here reminds us more of stuff from far out Spaghetti Westerns.
Since we're making this Record Of The Week, we should pause to state that if you're not already into Bollywood soundtracks, you need to check 'em out! And this, despite its specific slant, would certainly give you a good idea of what you've been missing - total WTF kitchen sink psychedelic percussive song-and-dance Eastern-inflected rock opera funked up madness.
22 tracks, 78+ minutes. Complete with cd booklet of copious, obsessive, expert liner notes from Votel. And lots of cool creepy colorful graphics of course. (In addition to this domestic cd release, there's also import vinyl available, but we're pretty much out, hoping to have some more from overseas next month, FYI.)
MPEG Stream: HEMANT BHOLE "Sansani Khez Koi Baat"
MPEG Stream: BAPPI LAHIRI "Meri Jaan"
MPEG Stream: SAPAN JAGMOHAN "Sote Sote Adhi Rat"
MPEG Stream: SONIK OMI "Main Theme From Andhera / Darwaza"

V/A Bollywood Breaks Sampler (Outcaste) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another label recognizes the brilliance of the wildly prolific Indian film industry's musical scores, puts its money where its mouth is, and releases a compilation. Good on you, Outcaste. This comp is heavily influenced by soul, funk, jazz, and latin music -- and since the record was made specifically for djs, it's purposefully heavy on the groove and not so much into quick changes and challenging juxtapositions, like the more pop-oriented Bollywood Funk records (which we highly recommend). That's not to say the non-DJ can't get into this -- it'd be excellent for your next party. Fans of Bombay the Hard Way will like this.
RealAudio clip: "Cosmic Flute"
RealAudio clip: "Tonight My Love"

V/A Bollywood Funk (Outcaste) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Indian film music is some of the craziest, catchiest, downright smile-inducing stuff you're ever going to hear. In recent years we've stocked a number of compilations, some better than others: the not-so-great "Bombay the Hard Way", the pretty great two volumes of "Doob Doob O'Rama", and our all-time favorite "Dance Raja Dance".
And now there's this one, another instant fave a la "Dance" and "Doob". Compiled by the same label which released the acclaimed "Untouchable Outcaste Beats" East-meets-West electronica compilation, "Bollywood Funk" is an excellent collection of Bollywood tracks which received no additional production or remixes. While the similar "Dance Raja Dance" album (again: highly recommended, we always carry it) perfectly encapsulates the late '70s / early '80s film music of India, this compilation goes back to the '60s and early '70s for a more psychedelic and groovier sound. Perfectly weird, often kick ass Indian film music. Highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: ""

V/A Bollywood Funk (Outcaste) 2lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Indian film music is some of the craziest, catchiest, downright smile-inducing stuff you're ever going to hear. In recent years we've stocked a number of compilations, some better than others: the not-so-great "Bombay the Hard Way", the pretty great two volumes of "Doob Doob O'Rama", and our all-time favorite "Dance Raja Dance". And now there's this one, another instant fave a la "Dance" and "Doob". Compiled by the same label which released the acclaimed "Untouchable Outcaste Beats" East-meets-West electronica compilation, "Bollywood Funk" is an excellent collection of Bollywood tracks which received no additional production or remixes. While the similar "Dance Raja Dance" album (again: highly recommended, we always carry it) perfectly encapsulates the late '70s / early '80s film music of India, this compilation goes back to the '60s and early '70s for a more psychedelic and groovier sound. Perfectly weird, often kick ass Indian film music. Highly recommended.

V/A Bollywood Steel Guitar (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just from the title alone, we knew that this latest installment in the always-amazing Sublime Frequencies series of unusual and under-documented "world music" recordings was gonna be the bomb! Indeed it is. The 'exotic' and infectious verve of vintage Bollywood film soundtrack music, performed with electric steel guitar as lead instrument for extra awesomeness, is hard to beat! The steel guitar, bringing with it the groovy twang of Western Swing and Hawaiian fret-sliding flavor, as well as a measure of classical Indian music, easily effects an emotive echo of the human voice that ordinarily fronts Bollywood themes. Compiler Stuart Ellis' informative liner notes describe these instrumental pop versions of Hindi film hits as the "elevator music of India" and if that's the case, we'd definitely rather be stuck in an elevator in Mumbai than anywhere else. There's 21 rare tracks by a half dozen masterful Bollywood steel string slingers: Van Shipley, Kazi Aniruddha, S. Hazarasingh, Sunil Ganguly, Charanjit Singh, and Guatam Dasgupta, recorded between 1962 and 1986.
A completely captivating collection, already one of our favorites among the many great Sublime Frequencies releases. And probably it should be no surprise that, for example, Van Shipley's "Jan Pahechan Ho" from the 1966 film Gunaam immediately gives us Sun City Girls flashbacks...
MPEG Stream: VAN SHIPLEY "Jan Pahechan Ho"
MPEG Stream: KAZI ANIRUDDHA "Piya Tu Ab To Aja"
MPEG Stream: SUNIL GANGULY "Are Diwano Mujhe Pehchano"

V/A Bollywood: An Anthology Of Songs From Popular Indian Cinema (Silva Screen) 2cd 16.98
In terms of hip International music trends here in the States, the Bollywood music craze seems to have recently died down in favor of the sounds of Ethiopia (thanks in part to its inclusion on major motion picture soundtracks such as Broken Flowers). Our love for both certainly hasn't waned nor wavered. So we're more than happy to welcome this new compilation of Indian film music. If you're seeking a thorough overview of the genre, this is a great place to start. The first disc dishes out a dozen delirious classics from the '50s, '60s and '70s, while the second disc offers eleven more 'modern' tunes, from the '90s. Of course, tracks by Bollywood deities Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi (check out the intense vocal performance on "Madhuban Mein Radhika"!) are in abundance on both discs. Oh such vibrant, manic, aural opulence! Recommended!
MPEG Stream: BHOSLE, ASHA & MOHAMMED RAFI "Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne "
MPEG Stream: RAFI, MOHAMMED "Madhuban Mein Radhika"
MPEG Stream: SANU, KUMAR "Ed Ladki Ko Dekha"

V/A Bomb Anniversary Collection 1991-2001 (Bomb Hip Hop) 4cd 28.00
Ten years of groundbreaking hip hop releases celebrated in one package -- $28 for *four* discs, over 60 tracks spanning the entire Bomb Hip Hop catalog, and including unreleased stuff as well. This is the label run by SF's own David Paul, who with the Return of the DJ compilations that way early-on featured such now-famous folks as Z-Trip, DJ Faust, Shortee, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, RJD2 (Def Jux), DJ Craze, Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ Static (Sweden), Knightz of Bass (German electro) etc. You can't go wrong, there's insane hip hop here, electro, turntablism, etc.
RealAudio clip: Z-TRIP "Rockstar part II"
RealAudio clip: INVISIBL SKRATCH PIKLZ "Invastion of the Octopus People"
RealAudio clip: KNIGHTZ OF BASS "KB-4"

V/A Bomb Worldwide (Bomb) cd 13.98
From the folks that brought us the stellar "Return of the DJ" records comes this compilation of RAPPERS from Japan, Germany, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. As usual, the Bomb points the way to the future of hip hop.

V/A Bomb Worldwide (Bomb) 2lp 13.98
From the folks that brought us the stellar "Return of the DJ" records comes this compilation of RAPPERS from Japan, Germany, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. As usual, the Bomb points the way to the future of hip hop.

V/A Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo (Motel ) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While the first Bombay the Hard Way disc featured funky themes from '70s Bollywood films doctored and augmented by the talents of the Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, this here volume 2 takes on the next generation of films -- stuff from the '80s. A lot of it is bad synthrock material so you can't really fault the assembled DJs for coming up with yucky results. The roster includes Kid Koala, DJ Me DJ You, Mixmaster Mike etc. Possibly good for a party but as armchair listening it gets tedious.
RealAudio clip: KID KOALA & DYNOMITE D "Third World Lover"

V/A Bombay 2: Electric Vindaloo (Motel ) 2lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While the first Bombay the Hard Way disc featured funky themes from '70s Bollywood films doctored and augmented by the talents of the Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, this here volume 2 takes on the next generation of films -- stuff from the '80s. A lot of it is bad synthrock material so you can't really fault the assembled DJs for coming up with yucky results. The roster includes Kid Koala, DJ Me DJ You, Mixmaster Mike etc. Possibly good for a party but as armchair listening it gets tedious.

V/A Bombay Connection Vol. 1, Funk From Bollywood Action Thrillers 1977-1984 (Bombay Connection) cd 16.98
We can never get enough of the colorful, zesty, infectious sounds of golden era Bollywood. Luckily we have two more outlets for our fix, as Bombay Connection has released two volumes of Bollywood hits that we've been groovin' to in the store for a few months now and finally have gotten enough to review and list. This is Volume 1 (2 to follow next list) and features tons of kick ass classic Bollywood funk from action thrillers spanning 1977-1984. You know what that means: incredible backbeats, suspense building bridges, and ultra saucy vocals. All the greats are here: R.D. Burman, Asha Bhosle, Kalyanji-Anandji, Sapam-Jagmohan, etc. So fun and so great!
MPEG Stream: R.D. BURMAN "Music"
MPEG Stream: GOVIND NARESH "Dance Music"
MPEG Stream: SAPAN JAGMOHAN & SALMA AGHA "Sote Sote Adhi Raat"

V/A Bombay Connection Vol. 1, Funk From Bollywood Action Thrillers 1977-1984 (Bombay Connection) 2lp 32.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We can never get enough of the colorful, zesty, infectious sounds of golden era Bollywood. Luckily we have two more outlets for our fix, as Bombay Connection has released two volumes of Bollywood hits that we've been groovin' to in the store for a few months now and finally have gotten enough to review and list. This is Volume 1 (2 to follow next list) and features tons of kick ass classic Bollywood funk from action thrillers spanning 1977-1984. You know what that means: incredible backbeats, suspense building bridges, and ultra saucy vocals. All the greats are here: R.D. Burman, Asha Bhosle, Kalyanji-Anandji, Sapam-Jagmohan, etc. So fun and so great!
MPEG Stream: R.D. BURMAN "Music"
MPEG Stream: GOVIND NARESH "Dance Music"
MPEG Stream: SAPAN JAGMOHAN & SALMA AGHA "Sote Sote Adhi Raat"

V/A Bombay Connection Vol. 2, Bouncin' Grooves From Bollywood Films 1959-1972 (Bombay Connection) cd 16.98
We can never get enough of the colorful, zesty, infectious sounds of golden era Bollywood. Luckily we have two more outlets for our fix as Bombay Connection has released two volumes of Bollywood hits that we've been groovin' to in the store for a few months now and finally have gotten enough to list. Vol 2 features all the golden greats spanning 1959-1972. Songs from all of those amazing nightclub scenes. You know what that means: intoxicating instrumentation, impassioned vocals, and splashes of color that you can practically hear captured in these wild and fantastic songs. All the great Bollywood luminaries are included: R.D. Burman, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Kalyanji-Anandji, Sapam-Jagmohan, etc. So fun and so great!!
MPEG Stream: MOHAMED RAFI "Jan Pahechan Ho"
MPEG Stream: KISHORE KUMAR & ASHA BHOSLE "Bum Pam Bum Pam Pa Ra Ra"
MPEG Stream: ANAND PRAYAG & CHORUS "Pretty Pretty Priya"

V/A Bombay Connection Vol. 2, Bouncin' Grooves From Bollywood Films 1959-1972 (Bombay Connection) 2lp 32.00
We can never get enough of the colorful, zesty, infectious sounds of golden era Bollywood. Luckily we have two more outlets for our fix as Bombay Connection has released two volumes of Bollywood hits that we've been groovin' to in the store for a few months now and finally have gotten enough to list. Vol 2 features all the golden greats spanning 1959-1972. Songs from all of those amazing nightclub scenes. You know what that means: intoxicating instrumentation, impassioned vocals, and splashes of color that you can practically hear captured in these wild and fantastic songs. All the great Bollywood luminaries are included: R.D. Burman, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Kalyanji-Anandji, Sapam-Jagmohan, etc. So fun and so great!!
MPEG Stream: MOHAMED RAFI "Jan Pahechan Ho"
MPEG Stream: KISHORE KUMAR & ASHA BHOSLE "Bum Pam Bum Pam Pa Ra Ra"
MPEG Stream: ANAND PRAYAG & CHORUS "Pretty Pretty Priya"

V/A Bombay Jazz Palace, The (Outcaste) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The UK's Outcaste label strikes again with this fab compilation of "Indo-Jazz", 14 tracks of Indian-music infused jazz, uh, fusion from the '70s. We're told most tracks are taken from super rare and collectable records and we don't doubt it. Funky, fun stuff with tabla, sitar, and so forth mixing it up with various Western electric instruments. Way more than those lame DJ-mixed "Bombay The Hardway" discs, these "funk ragas" sound like the soundtrack to a Blaxploitation film set on the Subcontinent (Shaft in Calcutta?)... Appearing: Lalo Schifrin, The Dave Pike Set, Ananda Shankar, Grupo Batuque, and more. Cool.
RealAudio clip: GEORGES GARVARENZ "Haschish Party"
RealAudio clip: THE DAVE PIKE SET "Raga Jeera Swara"
RealAudio clip: SHOCKING BLUE "Acka Raga"

V/A Bombay the Hard Way (Motel) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Wild Indian Soundtrack music from the 1960's, made by the Shah brothers Anandji and Kalyanji, that has gotten the 90's production by The Automator, who enlisted DJ Shadow to add a couple of beats here and there throughout the record. It's pretty good, though somewhat same-y after the first half hour. And I have to say that both myself and the Automator are so damn tired of lazy, ignorant food-based one-liners used to describe music made by Asians and Asian Americans. Naming a song on this cd "The Good, The Bad, and The Chutney" just shows that the only familiarity too many Westerners have with Asians and Asian Americans is through food. How pathetic.

V/A Bongo Flava: Swahili Rap From Tanzania (Out Here) cd 16.98
Hip hop, called Bongo Flava in Tanzania, has had an odd inverted development in relation to its US mentor. Unlike the US where the genre started in the streets, only to be picked up by the middle class as its popularity spread, it was the children of the wealthy and elite in Tanzania who would bring back western hip hop initially that eventually would trickle down to the poor in Dar es Salaam. But it was the poor who put the creativity and effort into making a full-fledged Bongo Flava scene -- though the production resources are still in the hands of the few, which results in an industry not disimilar to Jamaica's burgeoning music industry in the early seventies. What's more, while the faces of American rap stars grace the walls of clubs (there are some nice photos of such included with the accompanying booklet) and music stalls are pasted with their promotional posters, it's the local Bongo Flava stars that top the charts in Dar es Salaam, not the Americans. This is partially out of a sense of national pride, but also to the fact that the Tanzanian listeners can understand the Swahili lyrics of the local singers, which makes them a great deal more compelling to listen to than someone they can't understand. Part of this sense of national spirit can be attributed to former president Julius K. Nyerere, the first president after the country acheived independence, who sought to unify the country, which included making the official language of Tanzania Swahili. Now, despite the derision of elder Tanzanians who see the music as hooligan's music, the Swahili spoken Bongo Flava can be heard almost everywhere in Dar es Salaam. The production on these tracks shows just how far the digital age and software based home recording studios have made it possible for those of minimum means to approach the production standards set by the well heeled studios of the west. CD comes with a thick booklet detailing the history of Bongo Flava and short bios on the included artists.
MPEG Stream: JUMA NATURE FEATURING PROFESSOR JAY "Umoja wa Tanzania"
MPEG Stream: LWP MAJITU "Usinichanganye mi"
MPEG Stream: X-PLASTAZ "Dunia dudumizi"