the sworn enemy of professionalism and/or hipness.
long wordy write-ups are unnecessary, let the music speak for itself.
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Showing posts with label Odds and Ends Collections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Odds and Ends Collections. Show all posts
This is one of those few "odds and ends" records that is strong enough to stand up on its own. The songs were recorded between 1971-83, but flows like one great weird record, as most Residents records tend to do. Click on the picture below if you want the details on each track. It's weird that the "mopping up" from a handful of years could be so fucking good...I understand cutting things that don't fit the concept and that is was very nice of the Residents to hand the rest over. Now we just need all those album length tapes from the early 70's...
Secret Message Machine is Michael Barrett from here in Greensboro, NC. His music is arty, but not too arty. Poppy, but not too poppy. Serious, but not all that serious. It doesn't conform to any genre or trend but remains accessible. It's homemade and lo-fi but sounds warm and clear. It's difficult to describe in short but holy shit does it get under your skin. Few musicians with this much talent and individuality can remain so modest, and regrettably unknown. This album is a collection of outtakes from around the time of "Giants Madmen and Ghosts," which, as far as I know, he only gave to a handful of friends. Some tracks are more experimental, some are more bare bones than what ends up on his albums, a great Guided By Voices cover (many tracks here remind me of lo-fi GBV), but all are endearing and stimulating to the imagination. Some of you may think that odds and ends collections aren't the best place to start with any band, but if this is the stuff that got cut, imagine how good the albums are. Taking a chance on a SMM album is a chance well worth taking. More to come...
http://www.mediafire.com/?lhcpkzeyhslf8y9
More at:
secretmessagemachine.com
subjectivecollective.com
A track from the newest (and ridiculously great) album, "Orphanville," which you can buy or stream at secretmessagemachine.com
A live solo performance
I must admit that the first time Michael played me some of his songs, I immediately offered my services to be in a live version, and still do play bass in the live band. BUT, since I had no part in the writing or recording of any SMM song I can thereby praise the records this highly and not be a self-serving bastard.
Usually odds and ends compilations are inconsistent at best, which is most certainly NOT the case with "Terminal Tower." It spans from when the only reason they formed the band was to record 2 Rocket From the Tombs songs up to the more avant garde Mayo Thompson/Rough Trade era (5 years). Too many classics here to ever be out of print, but it is. Rather than just go on about how great this record is...
Also: All Pere Ubu CDs I have are unfortunately mastered at a very low volume, leaving the music sounding unfortunately thin. So I recorded my LP to CD with the levels turned up. I must say it enhances the chunkiness their earliest songs (especially "Final Solution"). For me, this sounds better...hope you agree.
Where to start on the Mummies...the first time I ever heard them was at a house I used to hang out in, when I was 18, that belonged to 3 gutter punks, a really creepy guy, and a crackhead, where I had to hide my beer in the windowsill, between the closed glass and the screen, to ensure that I would be the one to drink it...it somehow fits... These two LP's were compiled posthumously (they "existed" from late 80's-early/mid 90's) in an attempt to cash in (if you ever see the records be sure to read the liner notes, even if you find them hard to believe, they are really entertaining) but are no less loose, drunken full throttle junk rock, or as they put it, "Budget Rock," all for a good time, money and/or beer if possible, belo-fi mayhem. Like hearing the rotting corpse of rock n' roll out for one last go. There is a sense of humor in every last thing they do. The Devo covers are a nice touch too (branching out further than their Dwarves and Thee Mighty Caesars covers). And, go figure, you should play these albums fucking LOUD. To quote the liner notes: As we close this "electrifying" anthology; keep in mind that for a cut rate outfit which bore closer semblance to a vaudevillian act than that of a legitimate rock group, "The Mummies were proof that you CAN eat shit and live."
This is a compilation of the early band's ("Pastoral Not Rustic"/"Satan Is Real Again" line-up) out-takes and live recordings (1994-96). Some are heard on "Science Hat..." and solo versions on Alan Country Davidson tapes. Personally, I can't have enough different versions of any Wallers song plus the first Country Teasers I ever heard was this line up and it's nice to hear a more from them, even if Guided Missile made them censor "Women and Children 1st" and their joke take on "Tainted Love" from a condom awareness show in Slovenia might be taken the wrong way by people without a sense of humor (as well as most C.T. songs). The first 11 tracks would fit comfortably on either "Pastoral.." or "Satan is Real Again." Plus "Milkman" has one of my favorite opening lines: "Network first program on Irish Siamese twins plays Enya as the family visit the grave of the dead one." I'm not sure why I love that line so much, apart from my absolute hatred of Enya and it's overly cheesy phony bullshit. Wallers should write a book already. The drunken live tracks are a nice touch too, especially Wallers alternate take on John Denver's "Country Roads" [followed by live takes on "I'm a New Person, Ma'am (not listed)] and "Axe Greenan" shows them at their worst. It's nice to have bands have a sense of humor about their own fuckings up. If any of you have links to other live Country Teasers or Rebel recordings, let us know, please. "Christ on a fucking rubber bike, let it be."
I probably don't have to tell you how great the 19 tracks left off the CD version are...right? right!
1) I Get Hard 2) Kill! 3) Thank God I'm Gone 4) Let's Have A Shambles 5) So Lonely 6) Tights 7) Go Down Mighty Devil 8) Kenny Malcolm On Smack 9) Good Pair Of Hands 10) Demon Eyes 11) Trendy Mick Fleetwood's Fast Tail 12) Son Of Treble Faced Man 14) Julie Halard 15) Only A Woman 16) Sickening Lack 17) Prettiest Slave On The Barge 18) Full Shark Tiny Pool 19) Prettiest Slave On The Barge (Reprise)
