V/A Bush Taxi Mali: Field Recordings From Mali (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
Given the sheer volume of commercially available music that's come out of Mali (to say nothing of its west African neighbors, and the rest of the continent), one would think there would be a lot more field recordings of street musicians and the sundry other less commercially viable artists who don't attract the attention of the mainstream world music market. There certainly were labels such as John Storm Roberts' Original Music (R.I.P.) which had been hard at work on just that task many years ago, but recent years -- what with "world beat" becoming a commercially viable genre targeted to the lowest common denominator -- there's been less and less new, raw, unadulterated sounds to be had from the region. The first, in what is hopefully not the last, attempt from Sublime Frequencies to ameliorate this oversight comes from Tucker Martine. And what a nice collection of tracks it is. Recorded in the Fall of 1998 with, if we may say so, some incredibly nice field recording equipment, Bush Taxi Mali is like a really nice panoramic snapshot of music and sounds. The tracks range from miscellaneous street sounds, the dulcet tones of the kora (a bridged 21 stringed lute with a large calf-skin covered gourd resonator), fife and drum music, children singing and clapping, gorgeous acoustic guitar, and an absolutely frenetic wedding celebration with distorted bull horn amplification.
MPEG Stream: "Morning In Djenne"
MPEG Stream: "Bambaran Wedding Celebration"

V/A But Then Again (Scape) cd 16.98

V/A Cabaret Nocturno Vol. III (Zerga) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Amazing compilation of fucked up / out there / experimental rock from Zerga, the Finnish label run by our pal Pentti who fronts the band Deep Turtle. Obviously, Finland is gonna be well represented with a few bands we already love: Radiopuhelimet, Keuhkot, and a whole bunch we've never heard before: Torpedos, Fun, The Revolutionary Southern AMphetamines, Chelyabinsk-40, Astro Can Caravan, Hinageshi Bondage, Cause For Effect, Manifesto Jukebox, Mothers Against Sex Association, Suonihiuksisto, Kometa, and Vuk. Finnophiles will definitely want to pick this up. But in addition to all the Finnish weirdness, representing other parts of the globe we have Zu from Italy, Boxed In T.W.A.T. from the UK, Bz Bz Ueu also from Italy, Ground / Lift from Austria, Hather And Bollen from Australia / Holland, and Sabot from the Czech Republic. And as you might imagine, the sound is all over the map. Punk, prog, noise, hardcore, psych rock and beyond. We only have 10 copies and we're not sure when/if we can get more. So act fast.
MPEG Stream: ZU "Untitled Samba For Kat Ex"
MPEG Stream: RADIOPUHELIMET "Myrskyn Silmassa"
MPEG Stream: KEUHKOT "Naisia Sementtiin"

V/A Caipirissima (Caipirinha) cd 15.98
While featuring established Brazillian artists like Amon Tobin, Arto Lindsay, and Soul Slinger, this compilation should be seen as an introduction to the Brazillian musicians producing potent amalgamations dubbed "batucada eletronica." Joao Parahyba, DJ Dolores, Apollo 9, and Chelpa Ferro are a few of the Brazillian exports fusing the timeless beauty of Bossa Nova and the daring psychedelia of Tropicalia with the contemporary groove of breakbeat culture. As electronica compilations have always been a dime a dozen, Caipirinha (which has been guilty of a few useless compilations) should be credited as releasing this exceptional document.

V/A California (Troniks / Ground Fault) 10lp box set 85.00
When Erik Hoffman of Ground Fault hand-delivered this monumental 10LP box crammed full of the most guttural noise, splattered improv damage, cosmic drone headcrack, and low-brow Dada absurdism that California has to offer, he threatened that he could have made this thing even bigger. Fuck. Bigger than 10LPs with 20 different bands abusing your turntable? Yeah, fuck is right! In alphabetical order, the California box features Amps For Christ, The Cherry Point, Joe Colley, Control, Gerritt, GX Jupitter-Larsen, Moth Drakula, Open City, Oscillating Innards, Damion Romero, Rubber O Cement, Sixes, The Skaters, Solid Eye, Spastic Colon, Tralphaz, John Wiese, Xome, R.H.Y. Yau, and Yellow Swans. Sure you may say, Yellow Swans currently hold residency in Portland, so why the hell are they on this compilation? Details, details, details... FYI, they were Californians until a few months back... You already know if you need this.

V/A Call To Irons (Dwell Records) cd 12.98
Yup, an Iron Maiden tribute compilation. Tortoise, Ui, Alec Empire, Jim O'Rourke--no wait, that's not right. Sorry. It's metal bands doing covers of classic Maiden material. Absu, Angelcorpse, Opeth, Vital Remains, Morgion, Solitude Aeturnus, and others.

V/A Calling All Kings and Queens (Mr Lady) cd 13.98
Queer nation underground comes together here for a great mix tape (CD, actually) of some better knowns and some lesser knowns. Features tracks by Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, Kiki & Herb (featuring Justin Bond, here doing a hilarious rendition of Sleater-Kinney's "I'm Not Waiting"), the Butchies (NC, feat. Mr. Lady's Kaia), Amy Ray (of Indigo Girls fame), Oakland's California Lightening (members of Errase Errata), Tracy and the Plastics (Olympia, WA, ex-MemeAmerica), Bloomington, Indiana's Sissies and much, much more! Many tracks are exclusive.

V/A Calypsoul 70 - Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover 1969-1979 (Strut) cd 16.98
One of things we were most thankful for musically this year was the reemergence of Strut, the label we fell in love with for their great and deep digging tastes in booty moving obscure dance music from across the globe. Their Disco Not Disco comps are legendary for finding such outsider post-punk and left-field disco jams and they have released such amazing collections of Afrobeat, library music, old school hip-hop, etc. But the label seemed to disappear for the last few years so we were crazy stoked to see them back and on fire once again, with another volume of Disco Not Disco, as well as the awesome Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story collection, Nigeria 70, Disco Italia, and more! Which brings us to their latest immaculately packaged, well researched and most importantly totally jamming collection of Caribbean soul and funk from 1969-1979. The twenty tracks on here range from very Western influenced classic soul & funk to steel pan fueled jams, reggae tinged burners and loud & proud political anthems. A whole bunch of artists we'd never heard before that we are loving as well as a few AQ favorites sprinkled throughout (Amral's Trinidad Cavaliers Steel Orchestra, Cedric Im Brooks). We're so happy that this great label is strutting their stuff once again!
MPEG Stream: JUAN FORMELL Y LOS VAN VAN "A Ver Que Sale"
MPEG Stream: AMRAL'S TRINIDAD CAVALIERS STEEL ORCHESTRA "90% Of Me Is You"
MPEG Stream: OPHELIA "Red Light Lady"

V/A Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk & Pop Music Vol. 1 (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Repressed and BACK IN STOCK! Yay!
What? Another collection of Cambodian pop? But you just listed two volumes of Cambodian Rocks? (And, get ready for two more in that series!) It's true, Cambodian music seems to be the flavor of the moment on the obscure world music scene. But bear with us, as this one deserves all the attention afforded the Cambodian Rocks series... and then some. The history of Cambodia's flourishing and rich music scene was -- like the greater culture and society of the country in general -- cruelly severed in the early seventies by the Khmer Rouge during their "cleansing" program. All our favorite performers, anonymous until Khmer Rocks' own collections were recently released, were undoubtedly victims of the Khmer Rouge during this period. In the following years Cambodians who fled the country set up communities around the globe and among the other parts of their culture they treasured, the music of these lost performers was not forgotten. Throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties the scattered communities set up recording studios and continued to produce music just as amazing as those lost golden years. Enter Mark Gergis (of Neung Phak / Mono Pause and the man who brought us I Remember Syria). From 1999 to 2004 Mark diligently scoured the Asian branch of the Oakland Public Library, checking out each and every Cassette of Cambodian music produced in the period from the early seventies to the present. Many of the cassettes were unfortunately unlistenable; not merely because they'd been played thousands of times, or left on hot car dashboards, but because they were being slowly bulk erased by the library employees themselves as they would unwittingly pass them over the magnetic security system used to prevent book theft. Even with the best intentions of the public library as a repository for culture, Cambodian music was slowly being erased one cassette at a time. Of course there was no public outcry, at this point people had moved on to the newest thing (no doubt something recorded by one person with an electronic keyboard and other MIDI gear). It seems to happen everywhere: recent history is wiped clean for whatever happens to be hot at the moment. So it was that Mark culled together a collection of songs that are as amazing as they are rare. One thing particularly striking about many of the tracks is that, unlike what you'll hear on the Cambodian Rocks collections (all of which were actually recorded in Cambodia), they include both traditional Cambodian instruments alongside western instruments. There are tracks with Khan (the inimitable mouth organ of Southeast Asia) playing alongside electric guitar (which is often times being played in the style of a traditional Cambodian stringed instrument), saxophone, drums, electric bass and organ. Some of the combinations and bizarre genre bends are truly off the wall -- such as the track, unfortunately to remain untitled for now, a proto-metal Cambodian pop ditty featuring echoey and brash female vocals and a Queen-era guitar solo. While there are a few of the more modern pop tunes -- of the primarily keyboards and drum machine variety -- here, none are of the overly westernized Asian pop that is so ubiquitous these days. There are also 6 tracks of older tunes that were recorded in Phnom Penh between the mid-1960's and the early 70's (one of which was overdubbed by an American operated studio with a drum machine beat!) This is a truly amazing collection, certainly the best disc to be released by Sublime Frequencies to date, and Byram's top pick for 2004 thus far. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Blue Basket"
MPEG Stream: "Unknown [track 12]"
MPEG Stream: "Unknown [track 15]"

V/A Cambodian Rocks Vol. 1 (Khmer Rocks) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While most record stores might include Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as a mainstay album, consistently moving units from its initial release on up to the present, the original Cambodian Rocks collection has been for us a mainstay in its own right. We may not be able to boast the quantities that a larger store might for a staple, but Cambodian Rocks has got to be one of the most universally loved albums here at aQ. So you can imagine we were pretty damn excited when we found out that the collection was being released with full disclosure of musicians, vocalists, recording dates, song titles and lyrics (translated into English!) And if that isn't enough, Khmer Rocks has expanded their version of the collection to two discs! Even better, for all of you owners of the original collection, between these two discs and the original release on Parallel World there are only 5 songs total that overlap! So now you're wondering what the connection is between Khmer Rocks and Parallel World. Well, as far as we can tell, there is absolutely no connection. Seems like Khmer Rocks titled their two discs to capitalize off the original's popularity. And to their credit, they seem a bit more legit, having gone through the trouble of tracking down artists' names and song titles to give credit where credit is due. Not to be too harsh on Parallel World -- their collection is a fucking great compilation, always will be -- but the Khmer Rocks folk seem to be more genuinely indebted to these artists and it shows in their aformentioned efforts. And like Parallel World's collection, all the tracks on these two discs are absolutely great. It would be hard to leave a track out of your iPod if you were short on space. You might just have to get rid of something else. The artists here are all absolute geniuses in their abilities to absorb American rock and roll and tweak it to local tastes. In a lot of ways these bands are like South East Asian versions of the Sun City Girls -- picking up foreign radio transmissions (shortwave radio broadcasts to American military personnel) and subverting them to their own likeness. Some of our favorites are tracks like Meas Samoun's "The Engagement", a completely dirty take on the Santana sound (a lot of these Cambodian rockers seemed to really dig Santana) with an organ (or is it some ridiculously fucked up early seventies guitar processing?) solo that will kill you. Others, like Ros Sereyosthea take an American song part and parcel -- in this case CCR's "Rolling On A River" -- merely inserting their own lyrics and twisting the arrangement. Other twisted renditions sound an awful lot like "Hey Jude", "If You're Going To San Francisco", and "Whiter Shade Of Pale". But more often than not the tracks tend to be originals with a deeply modified American twang and sound less like the cover versions mentioned above. In all cases, the rock on these recordings has an energy of absolute immediacy and urgency that's unlike any of their psychedelic counterparts the globe round.
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "Quando My Love"
MPEG Stream: MEAS SAMOUN "The Engagement"
MPEG Stream: YOL AULARONG "Whiskey Whiskey"

V/A Cambodian Rocks Vol. 2 (Khmer Rocks) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While most record stores might include Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as a mainstay album, consistently moving units from its initial release on up to the present, the original Cambodian Rocks collection has been for us a mainstay in its own right. We may not be able to boast the quantities that a larger store might for a staple, but Cambodian Rocks has got to be one of the most universally loved albums here at aQ. So you can imagine we were pretty damn excited when we found out that the collection was being released with full disclosure of musicians, vocalists, recording dates, song titles and lyrics (translated into English!) And if that isn't enough, Khmer Rocks has expanded their version of the collection to two discs! Even better, for all of you owners of the original collection, between these two discs and the original release on Parallel World there are only 5 songs total that overlap! So now you're wondering what the connection is between Khmer Rocks and Parallel World. Well, as far as we can tell, there is absolutely no connection. Seems like Khmer Rocks titled their two discs to capitalize off the original's popularity. And to their credit, they seem a bit more legit, having gone through the trouble of tracking down artists' names and song titles to give credit where credit is due. Not to be too harsh on Parallel World -- their collection is a fucking great compilation, always will be -- but the Khmer Rocks folk seem to be more genuinely indebted to these artists and it shows in their aformentioned efforts. And like Parallel World's collection, all the tracks on these two discs are absolutely great. It would be hard to leave a track out of your iPod if you were short on space. You might just have to get rid of something else. The artists here are all absolute geniuses in their abilities to absorb American rock and roll and tweak it to local tastes. In a lot of ways these bands are like South East Asian versions of the Sun City Girls -- picking up foreign radio transmissions (shortwave radio broadcasts to American military personnel) and subverting them to their own likeness. Some of our favorites are tracks like Meas Samoun's "The Engagement", a completely dirty take on the Santana sound (a lot of these Cambodian rockers seemed to really dig Santana) with an organ (or is it some ridiculously fucked up early seventies guitar processing?) solo that will kill you. Others, like Ros Sereyosthea take an American song part and parcel -- in this case CCR's "Rolling On A River" -- merely inserting their own lyrics and twisting the arrangement. Other twisted renditions sound an awful lot like "Hey Jude", "If You're Going To San Francisco", and "Whiter Shade Of Pale". But more often than not the tracks tend to be originals with a deeply modified American twang and sound less like the cover versions mentioned above. In all cases, the rock on these recordings has an energy of absolute immediacy and urgency that's unlike any of their psychedelic counterparts the globe round.
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Hippie Men"
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "Missing Tender Care"
MPEG Stream: ROS SEREYSOTHEA "Haircut"

V/A Cambodian Rocks Vol. 3: All Psyched Up (Khmer Rocks) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It would appear that the Khmer Rocks label is slowly rendering the original Cambodian Rocks compilation on Parallel World obsolete. With each volume of their version of the beloved series there are a smattering of those tracks included -- now better served with full disclosure of the artists' names, song titles and even lyrics! With volume 3 there are three more, leaving you with 16 completely new tracks. We figure that by volume 7 or 8 of the Khmer Rocks series we'll all be able to trade in the original. As a bonus, Khmer Rocks has included two tracks at the end of volume 3 of "Romvong Songs", or Cambodian circle dance songs. It's the label's way of turning on all the garage psychsters to some traditional Cambodian music. The first track is actually a lot like the tracks on the Cambodian rocks discs, but with a bit more swing. The second, by Cambodian superstar Sinn Sisamouth, replaces guitar and bass with flute and clarinet along with traditional Cambodian instruments, but it still has the same intensity of those rock tracks. What can we say? Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "A Diamond Ring"
MPEG Stream: YOL AULARONG "Number One"
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "The Kickboxer"

V/A Cambodian Rocks Vol. IV (Khmer Rocks) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
All right! The fourth volume in the totally rad Cambodian Rocks series is here at last (perhaps the compilers at the Khmer Rocks label were sensing competition from the now three-volume Thai Beat A Go Go series?). Volume four puts Cambodian Rocks into the lead with some truly over the top late '60s/early '70s rock n' roll, exotic psych-beat that's just so wild, weird, n' wonderful. WOW is all you can say. The 19 tracks include such brilliantly-titled songs as "Oops...He's Mute", "No Shorts Lesson Learned", "Leftover Smile" and "I'm All Skinny" performed by an all-star cast of Cambodian Rockers: Ros Sereysothea, Sinn Sisamouth, Pan Ron, Yol Aularong, and Meas Samoun. Until the tragic, catastrophic Khmer Rouge takeover of the mid '70s brought the genocidal despot Pol Pot and his gang into power, Cambodia (or its urban center Phnom Penh anyway) apparently was a hip, swinging place where teenagers could groove to plenty of homegrown rock n' roll music, inspired by Western R&B, surf, and psych but with a distinctive Cambodian flavor. You can sure hear that in so many of the tracks here, in the sweet female voices backed by distorted guitar and wigged-out organ. There's some serious psych-fuzz being laid down, sometimes murky and lo-fi duo to its temporally/geographically distant origins but full of spirit and energy. So very recommended, as every entry in this series has been! By the way, the compliers have thoughtfully included English translations of the lyrics in the cd booklet.
MPEG Stream: ROS SEREYSOTHEA "Brokenhearted Woman"
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "Biting Game"

V/A Camp Skin Graft (Skin Graft) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Whether or not you think Skin Graft's "Now Wave" concept is a dumb marketing ploy (I do), the fact remains that among the thirty three tracks here there's some real corkers, from the likes of UFO or Die, Omoide Hatoba, Ruins, Akaten, Space Streakings, Zeni Geva...whoops, besides our Japanese friends, there's some Americans on here too, let's see, US Maple and Brise Glace and Quintron all have something going on. A fine sampler, sure much of it is previously released (or will soon be) but you don't have it all, do you? Get this and see what you're missing.

V/A Camping 2 (Bpitch Control) cd 15.98

V/A Can You Dig It? The Music And Politics Of Black Action Films (Soul Jazz) 2cd + book 23.00
Yes, we can dig it! Soul Jazz hits the jackpot once again with this completely amazing collection of songs from Blaxploitation films during the golden era of 1968-1975. There are a million reasons why this collection is so fucking great. But one critical way, in which this comp has become a defining collection of the sound and culture, is that most collections of Blaxploitation music up to this point only really focused on the camp and kitsch aspects of the movement, when really it was about so much more: true independence, total empowerment, bold political statements, reclamation of culture, off the hook fashion, and music with such real and deep soul, which provided the perfect soundtrack to these revolutionary films.
Can You Dig It? does a great job of mixing many amazing ultra obscure tracks some more well known jams, balancing the joy of discovery with the stone cold fact that no matter how many times you hear something from Curtis Mayfield's Superfly it always sounds so damn good. But of course this being Soul Jazz, they dig WAAAAAAY deeper, giving us truly stunning and burning tracks from the likes of Willie Hutch, Martha Reeves, Dennis Coffey, Solomon Burke & Gene Page, Don Julian, Johnny Pate, as well as tracks that somehow slipped under the radar from bigger name folks like James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes.
The sequencing and variety and richness in sound is so compelling and wonderfully varied. So often when this is playing for a while in the store people will ask "Is this still that comp?" and when we say yes they shake their heads in astonishment and usually have to get one right away. In fact right after the amazing Yo La Tengo instore performance last weekend, we put this on and all three members of the band at different times came up to us needing to know what it was and of course they bought one right away. Finally someone has done justice to the music of this movement and era, and our ears are in total heaven!
The double-cd version comes with an out-of-control informative and visually pleasing 100 page book as well as awesome postcards and stickers. The vinyl versions are split into two volumes and while it's awesome to have these songs on vinyl, the bummer is that the vinyl format doesn't come with the amazing 100 page booklet...
MPEG Stream: WILLIE HUTCH "Brother's Gonna Work It Out"
MPEG Stream: MARVIN GAYE "T Plays It Cool"
MPEG Stream: DENNIS COFFEY "Black Belt Jones"
MPEG Stream: JAMES BROWN "Make It Good To Yourself"
MPEG Stream: GORDEN STAPLES "Strung Out"
MPEG Stream: EDWIN STARR "Easin' In"

V/A Can You Dig It? The Music And Politics Of Black Action Films - Volume 1 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
Yes, we can dig it! Soul Jazz hits the jackpot once again with this completely amazing collection of songs from Blaxploitation films during the golden era of 1968-1975. There are a million reasons why this collection is so fucking great. But one critical way, in which this comp has become a defining collection of the sound and culture, is that most collections of Blaxploitation music up to this point only really focused on the camp and kitsch aspects of the movement, when really it was about so much more: true independence, total empowerment, bold political statements, reclamation of culture, off the hook fashion, and music with such real and deep soul, which provided the perfect soundtrack to these revolutionary films.
Can You Dig It? does a great job of mixing many amazing ultra obscure tracks some more well known jams, balancing the joy of discovery with the stone cold fact that no matter how many times you hear something from Curtis Mayfield's Superfly it always sounds so damn good. But of course this being Soul Jazz, they dig WAAAAAAY deeper, giving us truly stunning and burning tracks from the likes of Willie Hutch, Martha Reeves, Dennis Coffey, Solomon Burke & Gene Page, Don Julian, Johnny Pate, as well as tracks that somehow slipped under the radar from bigger name folks like James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes.
The sequencing and variety and richness in sound is so compelling and wonderfully varied. So often when this is playing for a while in the store people will ask "Is this still that comp?" and when we say yes they shake their heads in astonishment and usually have to get one right away. In fact right after the amazing Yo La Tengo instore performance last weekend, we put this on and all three members of the band at different times came up to us needing to know what it was and of course they bought one right away. Finally someone has done justice to the music of this movement and era, and our ears are in total heaven!
The double-cd version comes with an out-of-control informative and visually pleasing 100 page book as well as awesome postcards and stickers. The vinyl versions are split into two volumes and while it's awesome to have these songs on vinyl, the bummer is that the vinyl format doesn't come with the amazing 100 page booklet...
MPEG Stream: WILLIE HUTCH "Brother's Gonna Work It Out"
MPEG Stream: MARVIN GAYE "T Plays It Cool"
MPEG Stream: DENNIS COFFEY "Black Belt Jones"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

V/A Celebrate Psi Phenomena Retrospective (Last Visible Dog) 3 cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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