Podcast Episode 17 (tracklist in comments)

After a three month break, we offer you the first episode of the year! Our impromptu record night on our mutual day off turned into a podcast (with the help of an abundance of martinis!) On this episode we offer German library music and pop, 80's and 90's alternative, french canadian garage, some funk, sunshine pop and lots of other stuff. Great first show of the year! Also we give our thoughts on the passing of Bowie and a tribute to Keith Emerson.


Download and listen here!

Ken Nordine - Fuller Paint "Color" Spots (circa. 1964)

In 1966 Ken Nordine released an incredible album entitled "Colors" filled with word jazz, stream of conscious poetry odes to the various colors in the spectrum. 

His albums of Word Jazz have gained huge cult followings among record collectors, and his "Colors" LP is probably the most sought after.

The backstory of the recording of the album, is surmised in a footnote amongst the back of LP liner notes and some interview recollections by Nordine himself.

And that's it. The story has become myth, with all liner notes, reviews and sources reiterating the same summation. Well, last week I found a 7" EP containing the original commercials.

If Nordine is correct on his recollection, then two colors are missing, or were never actually distributed for airplay. He also states that aside from the drastic difference between the "Yellow" that appears on the LP, and in the original commercial, the remaining colors are more or less the same. But upon hearing these, that is most definitely NOT the case. Aside from alternate poems, you'll hear backup singers, sound effects and very different musical backings. Not to mention the recording "All Colors" which offers a tribute to the entire spectrum.

I date this recording at around 1964, mainly for the fact that sources state the spots were recorded in the mid 60's, and '64 was the last year Fletcher Richards, Calkins & Holden was known as such.

Download album here!

Oh, but before I close, the man who gave Ken Nordine the creative freedom to create this wonderful work of magnanimity, was an ad man by the name of Bob Pritkin. While doing research on ANY info I could find on the history of these ads, I found this set of photos of Mr. Pritkin pitching to the Fuller Paint Co., how cool is that?!

Audio Arcana 2015 Playlist recap

On a hot summer day last year, I got a whim to start a music podcast out of boredom, thinking I'd do a one-off. by the end of last year, I ended up recording 19 episodes! My goal this year is to do just as many, if not a couple more. 

I'd like to thank everyone involved. The ever-supportive Caroline Kopko, m'co-captain on the show and in life, who pushed me through a couple episodes when I was too lazy to start. Michael Benson, for ad-libbing the first episode with me, and then decided to start a similar podcast of his own, which lit the fire under me to rush through and keep it consistent. To the Floridian collectors Charles Pagano and Hollie Adams who through a 4 hour drunken platter party which got edited into three vacation episodes. And to Steven Delgado, who took time out of his full time schedule to produce a series of Audio Arcana bumpers and tags that will be re-sprinkled on this year's set of upcoming episodes. A shout out to Kurt Herman at Moog1 Radio, who picked up the show, and plays archived episodes on his 24 hour streaming radio station. And finally, much thanks to persistent fans such as Golan Globus, Matt Teague and Sergio Gonzalez who message me and Caroline every week asking for new episodes.

So before I go... in an effort to peak the interest of perhaps some curious friends, who may not have heard our show yet, here is a list of all 342 tracks played on last year's series of 19 episodes.

A
Jane Aire & The Belvederes - Take It To The Next Wave
Airto - Peasant Dance
Anna Maria Alberghetti - I've Got The World On A String
Davie Allen & The Arrows - The Chase
Aloa - Seltsame Ranken
Ambitious Lovers - It Only Has To Happen Once
Ann-Margaret - I Just Don't Understand
Au Pairs, The - Unfinished Business
Avant Garde, The - Naturally Stoned
Hoyt Axton - Blue Spirit Blues
           - The Devil
           - Thunder N' Lightnin'
Bob Azzam - Rain, Rain Go Away

B
B-Art - Prisencolinensinainciusol (Alright)
B-52's - Planet Claire
Babe Ruth - The Mexican
S.P. Balasubrahmanyam - Solla Solla
Richard Band - Canto Profane
The Barbarians - Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl
Warren Barker & The Warner Bros. Star Instrumentalists - Caper In A Coffee House
Barry Sisters - Vyoch Tyoch Tyoch
Batfish Boys, The - Swamp Liquor
Les Baxter and his Orchestra - Terror
                             - Tico Tico
The Louis Bellson Explosion - Chameleon
Bikini Kill - I Like Fucking
Birchwood Pops Orchestra, The - Exorcist II, The Heretic
Blackbyrds, The - In Life
Michael Bloomfeld/Al Kooper - Man's Temptation
Dean Blunt - Lush
Bonzo Dog Band - Look Out There's A Monster Coming
Brass Construction, The - Sambo (Conditions)
Brian Protheroe - I/You
Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - Fire
Buffalo Daughter - Silver Turkey
Kate Bush - Coffee Homeground

C
Al Caiola - Experiment In Terror
Glen Campbell - Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Clear Spot
                                   - Too Much Time
Ralph Carmichael - Cross And The Switchblade Theme
Daniela Casa - Black Sabbath
Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinsinanniusol
Karel Cernoch - Zrcadlo
Chaino - Spirit Of The Witch Doctor
Chakachas - Jungle Fever
Chemical Brothers, The - The Salmon Dance
Chrome - You've Been Duplicated
The Chrome Cranks - Cool As Ice
Dave Clark Five - On The Move
Rosemary Clooney with Perez Prado and his Orchestra - Corazon De Melon
                                                    - I Only Have Eyes For You
Edwyn Collins - High Fashion
The Collins Kids - Rock Boppin' Baby
Combustible Edison - Cat O' Nine Tails
Ray Conniff and his Singers - Bah Bah Conniff (Sprach)
Cowboy Copas - Sold The Farm
The Cramps - Love Me
Creation - Tobacco Road
Dick Curless - Chick Inspector

D
Dalida - La Danse De Zorba
The Damned - These Hands
Bob Darin - Me & Mr. Hohner
The db's - Black And White
Francesco De Masi - New York OneMore Day
Gene Defcon - Liz
Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business
Homer Denison Jr. - Chickie Run
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Fire
Devo - Going Under
     - Thru Bein' Cool
Neil Diamond - Hanky Panky
             - I'm A Believer
Disasterpiece - It Follows Theme
The Disco Band - Batman
               - Chim Chim Cheree
Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan - Orbit Aurora
The Doors - Unhappy Girl
The Double Six Of Paris - French Rat Race
Don Drummond - Silver Dollar
Urszula Dudziak
Jacques Dutronc - On Nous Cache Tout
Bob Dylan - New Pony

E
Duane Eddy - The Iguana
           - Stalkin'
El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico - Total Pa Que
Emerald Web - Flight Of The Raven
Keith Emerson - I'm A Man
              - Mater Tenebrarum
              - Taxi Ride (Rome)
Esquivel - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Ethan & The Coup - Class Of Nuke 'Em High

F
Jad Fair & Teenage Fanclub - Secret Heart
The Fibonaccis - Psycho
               - Romp Of The Meiji Sycophants
Nico Fidenco - Skin To Skin
Flying Giraffe - Bring Back Howdy Doody
45 Grave - Surf Bat
Fabio Frizzi - Baby Sequence 1
             - Sequence 1 (from Zombi)
             - Sequence 8 (from Zombi)
Mitchell Froom - Soft Multiples
Lucio Fulci - Sequence 1
Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics Have Taken The Asylum

G
Eric Gable - In A Sexy Mood
France Gall - N' 'ecoutes Pas Les Idoles
George Garavedian Players - Artistry In Rhythm
Joey Gaynor - Addams Family (in the style of Frank Sinatra)
David Gilmore - It's Deafinitely
Marcello Giombini - Eh Amigo, C'e Sabata
Egberto Gismonti - Baiao Malandro
Jimmy Glimmer & The Fireballs - Sugar Shack
Crispin Glover - Clowny Clown Clown
Goblin - Deep Shadows
       - My Damned Shit
Gong - A Sprinkling Cloud
the Barry Gray Orchestra - Joe 90
Johnny Griffith, Inc. - Grand Central Shuffle
Pedro Guzman - La Pantera Rosa

H
Bobby Hammack Quartet - Powerhouse
Rufus Harley - Windy
Harpo - Sayonara
Don "Sugarcane" Harris - Eleanor Rigby
Isaac Hayes - Run Faye, Run
Richard Hayman - Goin' Out Of My Head
Neil Hefti - Oh Dad, Poor Dad
Henry Cow - Nirvana For Mice
Woody Herman & His Orchestra (ft. Michael Bloomfield) - Proud Mary
Bernard Herrmann - Twisted Nerve (Vocal version)
Ersak Hickey - Bluebirds Over The Mountain
Hit Of The Week Orchestra - I'm Keeping Company
The Hollies - After The Fox (ft. Peter Sellers)
The Human Beinz - Nobody But Me
Bobby Hutcherson - Oye Como Va
                 - Patterns
Dick Hyman - Theme From "I Spy"
           - Topless Dancers Of Corfu

I
Incredible Bongo Band - Let There Be Drums
Inflatable Boy Clams - Skeleton

J
Bob James - Night On Bald Mountain
Maurice Jarre - The Mosquito Coast
Kathy Jean - Canadian Sunset
Gordon Jenkins - Dream 6 "The Nightmare"
Grace Jones - The Apple Stretching
            - Libertango
Jack Jones - Wives And Lovers
Spike Jones & His City Slickers - My Old Flame

K
Kano - It's A War
Kashmere Stage Band - Thank You
John Keating - I Feel The Earth Move
Ray Kennedy - Life At Last
King Crimson - Elephant Talk
Gershon Kingsley - Rebirth
Jurgen Knieper - End Title (Bye Jamie)
Sonny Knight - If You Want This Love
Kool & The Gang - Jungle Jazz
                - Open Sesame
Kraftwerk - Comet Melody 2
Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band - Chevrolet

L
La Maison - Boris Karloff
Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Hihache
Frankie Laine - Gunfight At The O.K. Corral
Linda Laine - Low Grades And High Fever
Landscape - The Doll House
Jerry Lee Trio - Banshee
Peggy Lee - That Man
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy - Paralyzed
Ramsey Lewis - What's The Name Of This Funk? Spiderman
Enoch Light And The Light Brigade - "Lullaby" from Rosemary's Baby
Trini Lopez - Gonna Get Along Without You Now
Lord Dent & His Invaders - Wolf Call
Lord Sitar - I Am The Walrus
Los Punk Rockers - Anarchy In The UK
The Lounge Lizards - Big Heart
Lydia Lunch - Atomic Bongos
            - Spooky
The Luneberg Organ - Toccato In D Minor

M
Ma Gita - Dolly
Magazine - Honeymoon Killers
Man - Don't Just Stand There
Henry Mancini - Experiment In Terror
Herbie Mann - Comin' Home Baby
            - Fever
            - The Oud And The Pussycat
Michael Mantler - Movie 1
The Marketts - Out Of Limits
Edith Massey - Punks Get Off The Grass
Matching Mole - Instant Pussy
Mathematiques Modernes
Maurice & The Cliches - Soft Core
Mazarati - Player's Ball
Mike McGear - Norton
            - Sea Breezes
Meco - Star Wars Medley
Marisa Medina - No Te Acuerdas De Mí
Minnetonka High School Band - The Pink Panther
Vic Mizzy - Gomez
Modettes, The - Paint It Black
Hugo Montenegro - Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
Ennio Morricone - Allegretto Per Signora
                - Wanted Dead Or Alive
Buddy Morrow and his Orchestra - The Raven
Tony Mottola and the Quad Guitars - Galloping Guitars
Muzak Corp. - Miniskirt
MX-80 Sound - Halloween
Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo - Witches Egg

N
Larry Nelson - Ballad Of A Thin Man
The New Yorkers - Hell's Bells
Bruno Nicolai - Quarto Diletto
1910 Fruitgum Company - Pow Wow (Backwards)
Harry Nisson - Vine St.
Jack Nitzsche - The Lonely Surfer
Terry Noland - There Was A Fungus Among Us
Klaus Nomi - Total Eclipse (Live)
Ken Nordine - Where Hunger Is From

O
Richard O'Brien - Shock Treatment
Oingo Boingo - No One Lives Forever
101 Strings - Karma Sitar
Yoko Ono - Walking On Thin Ice
William Onyeabor - Fantastic Man

P
Pacific Gas & Electric - Staggerlee
The Pandoras - High On A Cloud
The Paragons - The Tide Is High
Papaya Paranoia - Paradise, Paradise
Van Dyke Parks - An Invitation To Sin (ft. Kathy Dalton)
               - Black Gold
      - Come To The Sunshine
Passport - Eternal Spiral
Rita Pavone - Viva La Pappa Col Pomodoro
The Peels - Juanita Banana
Pentangle - Once I Had A Sweetheart
Pere Ubu - Birdies
Phantom Five - Graveyard
Gene Pitney - Town Without Pity
Plastics - Good
Poison Girls - Ideologically Unsound
Jean Luc Ponty - The Art Of Happiness
Iggy Pop - Kill City
Poppy Family - Endless Sleep
Poussez! - Let's Rollerskate
Andrew Powell - The Chase, The Fall and the Celebration
Bud Powell - Hot House
Alan Price - I Put A Spell On You
Brian Protheroe - Clog Dancer
Public Image Limited - Seattle

Q

R
Sun Ra and his Arkestra - Robin's Theme
The Raincoats - Dance Of The Hopping Mad
Marvin Rainwater - Teardrops
Lou Rawls - Tobacco Road
Red River Dave - When Ol' Bing Crosby Said Goodbye
Leon Redbone - Haunted House
Jerry Reed - Amos Moses
Django Reinhardt - Brazil
The Residents - Diskoko
              - Elvis And His Boss
              - The Final Confrontation
              - Hello Skinny
              - Shorty's Lament (Intermission)
              - Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats
Return To Forever - Earth Juice
Paul Revere & The Raiders - Let Me
                          - Rain, Sleet, Snow
Rhinegold - F.A.N.
The Rhythm Addicts - Oomp Boomp
Howard Roberts - Spinning Wheel
               - Spooky
Roger & The Gypsies - Pass The Hatchet
The Rolling Stones - Can't You Hear Me Knocking (alt. Version)
Romeo Void - Say No
Todd Rundgren - Lock Jaw

S
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Tibetan Dance
Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs - Black Sheep
                            - Lil' Red Riding Hood
                            - The Phantom
Jerry Samuels - I Owe A Lot To Iowa Pot
Ed Sanders - The Illiad
Fred Schneider and the Shake Society - Monster
The John Scott Orchestra - The Fire
Peter Sellers - Grandpa Grave
Doc Sevrinsen his Trumpet and Orchestra - Cleopatra's Asp
Ray Sharpe - Hey Little Girl
Artie Shaw and his Orchestra - Nightmare
The Shirelles - 31 Flavors
Nancy Sinatra - Drummer Man
              - The City Never Sleeps At Night
Six Brown Brothers - Peter Gink
The Slits - Heard It Through The Grapevine
Hank Snow - Ghost Train
Jimmy Smith - Theme From The Munsters
Snakefinger - Magic And Ecstacy
Sounds Incorporated - In The Hall Of The Mountain King
The Space Lady - Major Tom
The Specials - Ghost Town
Michael Stern - Partial Pastoral/Escalator
Stormbringer - Rock 'N' Roll Paradise
L. Subramanian - Mani Talks
Suburban Lawns - Janitor
The Surf Punks - My Beach
Gabor Szabo - Gypsy '66 (Lady Gabor)

T
T-Connection - Do What You Wanna Do
Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Franco Tamponi - Rotatory Motion
Creed Taylor Orchestra - Saint James Infirmary
10cc - Sand In My Face
Third Eye Blind - Motorcycle Drive By
Three Suns, The - Danny's Inferno
Throwing Muses - The River
Timbuk 3 - Life Is Hard
Time Five & The Kung Fu Express - Dragon Lord
Tiny Tim - Stay Down Here Where You Belong
Mel Torme - The Games People Play
Touch Tone Tuners, The - Jacko Homo
Trio Los Panchos - Negrita
Tubes, The - Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman
Tuxedomoon - No Tears
Johnny Tyler - Devil's Slate

U
Piero Umiliani - Cinque Bambole
The Undead - Somebody Super Like You (Beef Construction Song)
Unrest - Mod Fuck Explosion

V
Sal Valentino - Alligator Man
Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees - With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm
The Vandals - Urban Struggle
The Viscounts - Harlem Nocturne

W
Wahaha - Inanaki
Rick Wakeman - Dante Perios
Charlie Walker - Wild As A Wildcat
Wednesday Week - Pretty Cities
Heidelinde Weis - Der Superman
Lenny White - Chicken Fried Steak
Wild Ones, The - Lord Love A Duck
Leona Williams - Country Girl With Hot Pants On
Bruce Willis - Under The Boardwalk
Wire - A Serious Of Snakes
Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street
Lisa Wong & The Stylers - <Unknown Title>

X

Y
Eikichi Yazawa - O, Oh
Yello - Goldrush
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Music Plans

Z
Helmut Zacharias - Hurdy Gurdy Man
John Zacherley - Dinner With Drac
Frank Zappa - I Am The Slime
            - Why Don'cha Do me Right

Leo Diamond - Snuggled On Your Shoulder (1957)

 First hearing about Leo Diamond in the Incredibly Strange Music book, I knew I probably shouldn't pass up any record of his I could find. Hell, this one's great for the cover alone!

Well, this might night be as exciting as his more experimental Ferrante & Teicher-esque harmonica LP's, or as fun as his early works with Borrah Minnevitch's Harmonica Rascals... which I'm sure I'll get around to posting LP's of in future blogs... But, this is solid, sweet and atmospheric lounge.

I'm sick right now, and my throat is killing me. So plopping on the couch with a cup of Earl Grey, a cat and Leo Diamond's music on the Hi-Fi is the perfect way to spend my Friday night. Enjoy!

Download album here!

Jerry Lewis - Just Sings (1956)

In the mid fifties, Jerry Lewis wanted to record a straight record of standards with no clowning around. But, no company wanted to take on the project! So, Lewis funded the record himself and sold it to Decca. It ended up being a hit.

The album, though sung "straight", definitely veers towards the theatrical and borderlined hammy. Obviously taking notes from singers like Jolson. Kind of an oddity now.

This rip was taken from my grandparents beat up LP, hence the crackle. To my understanding, there is a nice CD release with outtakes and bonus tracks.

Download here!

Martin Böttcher ‎– Widia Sound 70 / Campo Limbo (1970)

Martin Böttcher ‎was a German film composer with countless scores and pop albums under his belt. This is an uber hip promotional record he did, used to sell metal of some kind. The A-side was made classic on the second "Popshopping" compilation. The B-side, I believe, is still uncomped. Enjoy!

Download here!

Christina Lindberg - Christina! (1970)

Been doing a massive unload of about 30 gigs of pre-war jazz onto my hard drive. With such a magnanimous undertaking, I usually try to keep the playlist diverse with lots of hopping around the hard drive for things to listen to. That's how I came across this long forgotten gem.

Christina Lindberg, Swedish cult actress of such films as "Exponerad", the notorious "Thriller: A Cruel Picture" and the pink film Sex & Fury, also had a short-lived (and failed) music career. To my understanding, this 1970 single was released through a Swedish adult publication. More interesting than listenable, the cover is what REALLY sells it.

Download here!

Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave - Phantasm I & II (1979-1988)

With the passing of Angus Scrimm a few days ago, I was reminded of how awesome the music from Phantasm was.

Eerie and synth driven, obviously taking cues from the influential work on Exorcist. I can't help but listen to it and get the feeling it influenced other works as well, most notably the score for last years "It Follows".

The score has come in and out print countless times over the last 35+ years, however, the compact disc release here from '91 featuring selections from the score for Phantasm II has been out of print since its initial release 25 years ago, and marks the ONLY release of any music from the second film. It can easily run up to C-note to acquire. Enjoy!

Download album here!

James Dean Tribute Records

In the fall of 1955 The Champs recorded "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots," a teenage tragedy song about a biker who gets hit by a train on Highway 101. It was pioneering, in the effect that it popularized the "teenage death song"-genre in music. It also was one, if not the first song to epitomize the new-school "outlaw teen biker" stereotype. Also, the record was released the week before James Dean died. The song isn't about James Dean, but it definitely defined the period and mood of the fall of '55.

But I digress... James Dean tribute records were released sparsely by a few labels. Imperial released one, Coral released one with several tracks from a few of his films and a couple tribute songs sprinkled here and there by Jimmy Wakely and Dick Jacobs, which were also released individually as 45's.

I don't have the album unfortunately, nor do I have the Wakely single, but I DO have the Jacobs 45, which I'm posting here. Dick Jacobs was A & R guy for Decca and its Brunswick and Coral subsidiaries. He also released a few albums, including the cult classic "Themes From Horror Movies" featuring title songs to popular B-pictures of the day and featuring Karloff-esque narration by Bob McFadden.

As a bonus I'm also throwing in a track from the James Dean tribute EP on the T.N.T. label by Red River Dave. Red River Dave McEnery was known for releasing eccentric ballad songs for topical events of the day, starting in '39 with "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight," and moving through songs devoted to such subjects as the Sharon Tate murder, the Francis Powers Trial, Apollo 11 and Patty Hearst to name a few. The track I'm including is "James Dean Deck of Cards" which is a tribute/parody to Wink Martindale's "Deck of Cards," which is one the most oddball country records you'll ever hear.

And for good measure, just so this isn't a such a lean download, I'm including two versions of "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots;" the original Cheers version, and the reworking cover done by Edith Piaf, "L'Homme a' la Moto" which ended up being a hit for her as well.

Download here!

Sonic Coaster Pop - Super Miracle Circuit (2004)

Downloaded long ago from a now defunct blog I cannot recall, we have Sonic Coaster Pop's second album, Super Miracle Circuit.

Coming from the Shubya-kei school of electro pop, this album has those chillout/electro jazz elements... but then turns up the juice and becomes high octane, up-tempo pop you'd find on a Japanese children's show.

All in all though, this album is really fun.

Download album here!

Vincent Bell - Pop Goes The Electric Sitar (1968)

Session guitarist Vinnie Bell was one of the best pop session players of the 60's easy listening/pop scene... rivaling Al Caiola in my opinion.

His style was inventive and you can find his name listed all over the coolest Enoch Light and Tony Mottola albums on the Command and Project 3 labels. But his solo albums are tops.

Bell also invented several electric guitars of his own, including the first electric 12-string.

This is a great easy listening Sitar-sploitation sixties LP, among one of my faves, up there with Lord Sitars LP. Lots of theatrical flare from start to finish, and the rockers REALLY rock, well, for lounge.

Jackie Gleason also released a sitar LP which starts off with "Goin' Out Of My Head", but there is no comparison, Vinnie Bell's version is where it's at. THIS album is where it's at. Famous for his "wet" guitar sound... it's all over the place on this album. Bell's electric sitar playing was featured on the Lemon Pipers' hit "Green Tambourine" and it's apparent. Compare the sound on this record, it's unmistakeable. One last fun fact before I go: Bell played on the Twin Peaks soundtrack.

Download the album here!

The Munsters - The Newest Teen-Age Singing Group The Munsters (1964)

When you think of "cash-in" records... you think of low budget labels, but this is a big boy doing the shill. Jack Marshall did The Munsters theme, but sans Jack Marshall on this LP; he was on Capitol. So what does Decca do? Get a group to sing horror pop novelty numbers, name them "The Munsters" and plaster a photo of The Munsters on the front of the record.

"Munster Creep" is probably the winner of the vocal cuts. The instrumental songs aren't too bad though... kinda a middle ground between a Hanna Barbera cartoon and those Power Frankie Stein & The Ghoul LP's. "Eerie Beach" is probably the winner of the instrumentals... with an exotica tinge, almost Martin Denny-esque "Quiet Village" vibe.

Download album here!

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger - Concerto for Jew's Harp, Mandora and Orchestra

I was going to upload a Milva album of Berthold Brecht covers, but as I was preparing it for this blog, this album became the backdrop, and thus, plans changed.

Johann Georg Alberectsberger was an Austrian composer of the Viennese school of classical music. He was a classmate with Haydn and a teacher to Beethoven. He composed several concertos for orchestra, lute and the Jew's harp.

He wrote at least 7 concertos for Jew's harp, three survive, and this album compiles two of them.

It's bizarre to hear the Jew's harp in a serious concept, outside of a Morricone soundtrack, especially in a classical context... but that just gives it extra charm!

Download album here!

Ken Nordine - Colors (1967)

Renaissance man and voice actor Ken Nordine released some of the hippest jazz albums of the 50's and 60's. His Word Jazz recordings are profound, prolific, occasionally subliminal and at times philosophical.

Nordine's commercial work falls in all those categories as well. He's the everyman whom you've heard a million times and yet can never place him. That's his magic.

Ken Nordine's Colors album is crescendo that encompases both world's beautifuly to exemplify what makes his work special.

Originally done as a series of Fuller paint ads, the campaign proved to be extremely popular. Thus, Ken jotted down several more color-based tracks and recorded this album.

The original album is sought after and hard to find in the wild, and the compact disc is many a year out of print as well and can sometimes run up in price. I got my copy by accident! A friend of mine called me to as if I wanted him to buy a copy of Nordine's "Twink" and I'd reimburse him later... I said YES and when I got it, it was a perfect Twink cover, but with a near mint copy of Colors inside.

Nordine? He's still at it! He blogs, he podcasts, he's 95 years old and has a facebook. May he live forever, and reside in your subconscious.

Download album here!

Gerardo Lacoucci & H. Caiage - L'Aventure (1971)

Don't know much about this one. To my understanding, it's an Italian library music record pressed in France. It blends Funk, pop, soul & psych rock melodies and every track feels really hip. If you were to judge this record by the title, I would say it's spot on. It feels cinematic and has a lot of flavors that maintain uptempo, upbeat action jazz and borderline instrumental rock. All in all this music is tops and won't disappoint. Strictly bachelor pad.

Download album here!

Lucifer - Black Mass (1977)

In the late 60's and into the 70's Mort Garson's music got epic. Switching over from pop arrangements to Synthesizer driven concept albums, he released a slew of classic albums. Electronic Hair Pieces, a moog staple to this day; Plantasia, a favorite among hip hop samplers and crate diggers alike; An Electronic Odyssey, under the alias The Wozard Of Iz and regarded by many as the best of his experimental phase. The Zodiac Cosmic Sounds, probably a cash-in on the late sixties star sign/zodiac craze, so popular it also spawned a series of synth albums devoted to each individual sign. The Unexplained, a late 70's transcendental album bordering on New Age and at times even disco, but, for the most part sounding like an Euro-Italian Goblin soundtrack for an Argento film. I could go on, and probably will post some of these gems on future blogs.

 My favorite however, is Black Mass. He recorded under the alias "Lucifer" and this album is filled with some great electronic moodscapes, or moogscapes? Ride of Aida is the track that made me seek out the album. Incubus, under the heavy pulsating electronic rhythms, has pleasure moanings laid in the mix. The Evil Eye sounds like late night B-movie sci-fi, whereas Exorcism reminds me of the type of music Raymond Scott was working on a decade earlier.

I passed it up once, regretted it, and was happy when I found an even cheaper (and cleaner copy) than the first one I skipped. If you find this gem, don't pass it up. Still one of my favorite electronic records.

Download album here!

Blue Light Yokohama! The Singles of Ayumi Ishida

I first became hip to Ayumi Ishida on the wonderful comp "Nippon Girls: Japanese Pop, Beat & Bossa Nova 1966-1970" with the track "Taiyou Wa Naiteru." That record made me want to seek more of the groups out, which is how I think I came across this double disc set, compiling the bulk (if not all) of actress/singer Ayumi Ishida's singles from her hey-day.

It has a lot of uptempo rock, as well as beautiful ballads, beat and latin influenced melodies. Not much more to say, the music speaks for itself! Enjoy!

Download discs here!

Anita Kerr goes German

Anita Kerr and her Anita Kerr singers were heard on countless Country singles and albums throughout the fifties. By the sixties she was helming one of the largest vocal groups in the country, backing up several pop artists, making several appearances on television and even winning a grammy for the fantastic 1965 LP "We Dig Mancini" all out of Nashville Tennessee.

By the late 60's she relocated to Los Angeles where she reformed the Kerr singers, recorded lounge covers of Beatles, Bacharach, and Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass (under the Mexicali Brass moniker,) as well as branching off into radio jingles and producing other groups. My favorite recordings from this period are the Rod McKuen concept albums... but that is definitely an acquired taste.

BUT... what I offer today is none of the above. Here we have a collection of singles she recorded to capture the European market. Most were recorded the early 60's during the peak of her international fame... the last couple after she relocated to the Netherlands in the 70's.

Download here!