Prefuse 73 - Meditation Upon Meditations (The Japanese Diaries) [2009]

I'm a big big fan of the work of Guillermo Scott Herren. The first moment I picked up the "Estrocaro" ep by Prefuse 73 I was a fan. This was followed by the great "Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives" LP and a steady stream of good material from there on in. His stuff has evolved over the years, but the Quality has remained high, despite how prolific he's been.

This album came out in 2009, the same year as the "Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian", but limited to a Japanese release. Thus making it hard to get hold off and very much under the radar. So other than getting the old radar looked at, here is said album in all it's glory.

For this release, there's none of the usual smattering of guest MC contributions and the tracks are longer than the short sketches on the "Ampexian..." album. Where one of his other low key releases "Sleeping on Saturday and Sunday Afternoons" (credited to Guillermo Scott Herren and I'm sure a future subject of this blog) leans heavily on his Savath & Savalas work, this one is 100% Prefuse 73. It really is a highlight in his catalogue.

So, this wouldn't be a bad place for newcomers to start at all. Those unfamiliar should definitely track down the previously mentioned "Vocal Studies..." album and also its follow-up "One Word Extinguisher". This years "The Only She Chapters" is hot too. The Savath & Savalas opener "Folk Songs for Trains, Trees and Honey" is also worth hunting down.

Meditations on Meditations

Neil Young - Time Fades Away [1973]

What can you say about this record that hasn't already been said?
- It's a gem in Neil's catalogue, that somehow has never had a proper re-issue / cd release?
- That it was the "commercial suicide" album after Harvest?

Well, it was Neil laying out his stall. Saying "I'll do what I want"... given a crossroads he'll take the least obvious or most difficult path.

Recorded live, mainly on a 1973 tour, this followed up the massive Harvest album of 1972. This was not the obvious way to go. As himself said "'Heart of Gold' put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch." Rather than playing his well known stuff, this tour showcased new material, to the dismay of audiences. The resulting album was hated by critics.

Neil himself also wasn't keen saying "I think it's the worst record I ever made - but as a documentary of what was happening to me, it was a great record." Indeed it had been a bad time, Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten was going to play 2nd guitar on this tour but had died of an overdose.

There's reams and reams of stuff written about this album, so I won't go on. Apparently a release was scheduled in the 90s, but it was pulled. So allegedly CD bootlegs of this lp are taken from the 90s "test pressing". It's all surrounded in mystery really, the original was apparently "...Mastered 16-Track Direct To Disc (acetate) by Computer". Straight to disk, in other words no master tape?! How did they do the 90s proposed CD then? Or did they do it at all. Is the 90s "test pressing" a fan produced bootleg mastered from 8-Track tape? Hmm...

Either way, the petition (!) came to nothing & there's been no re-release. It does contain one of his best, and most autobiographical tracks "Don't Be Denied". So don't wait for someone cooler than me to recommend it.

Don't Be Denied

(intermission) James Last - Silver Machine

Here's a bit of an intermission, or palette cleanser.

JL with some real Krautrock.



why does it end so soon :(

Two Lone Swordsmen - Wrong Meeting [2007]

We like Andrew Weatherall here.

I've had the pleasure of DJing with him a few times too and I can vouch that he is indeed a first rate chap.

Of more recent times his electronica/electro/techno outfit Two Lone Swordsmen has been gradually shifting, incorporating all his other influences (Cramps, Stooges, Rock'n'Roll, Rockabilly, post-punk etc...). Their last for Warp Records, 2004's "From the Double gone Chapel" album, wasn't one of my favourites, but his next "Wrong Meeting" definitely was. It was still dark, but now contained hooks and Mr Weatherall himself handling the vocal duties. Unfortunately, I don't think it got the distribution or the push it deserved. I definitely had a struggle to get a copy ...

Those of you who know earlier Two Lone Swordsmen or even earlier Sabres of Paradise, will be surprised. But surprise is good. And if you're liking this, you really should track down "Wrong Meeting" and "Wrong Meeting 2" at you local record emporium.

Anyway, cutting the crap, here it is: Wrong Meeting

Spectrum / Cheval Sombre - Split 7" [2011]

It's great to see Pete Kember aka. Sonic Boom aka. Spectrum cropping up a fair bit of late, from production of MGMT & Panda Bear to some great Spectrum releases. (There's a great recent interview here)

His last LP was an interesting one ("Indian Giver" under the name "Spectrum meets Captain Memphis" with the late James Luther Dickinson.... subject of future blog) and his live shows were great round that time too. This limited split 7" release (for Record Store Day 2011) contains a glorious extended version of the opening track from that release, "Mary". A tribute to the late great Mary Hansen from Stereolab over 7+ minutes of exquisite Neu!/garage drone.

That track is reason alone to buy this, but the flip is great too. New Yorker Christopher Porpora aka. Cheval Sombre, with Kember on mixing duties, turns in a low key bit of psychedelic folk, promising good things for his forthcoming lp ....

Buy the 7" here
or sample it here before you buy ... Take me to the other side

Various - Domino On the Wire [1999]

This is a great Domino Records compilation given away with the Wire magazine. I remember at the time, I really liked Domino as they had some great left-field indie (in the old sense) stuff and some great electronica too. I think when I heard this it confirmed my liking for the label.

In the light of their success with Franz Ferdinand and then the massive success of Arctic Monkeys, this is a particularly interesting snapshot of a label yet to gatecrash the mainstream. It also predates the likes of James Yorkston, Four Tet etc...

Regardless of all that, its a really good compilation with some really good tracks on by some great artists which, above all, hangs together really well. You can't argue with Mouse on Mars, The Pastels, Silver Jews, Papa M, Royal Trux, Smog & Jim O'Rouke can you?! And that's only half of it.... it's only a shame there's no Flying Saucer Attack.

Goddamit You've got to be kind

Caribou - Swim mixtape [2010]

I remember being blown away by Manitoba (as they were), back around 2005-ish, at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. (Thanks for driving Rick, we found it eventually..!). Having only heard their Boards of Canada-esque debut "Start Breaking My Heart", we were surprised to see a drums/keyboard, 2 guitar lineup! But what a show it was. Quite a an achievement that 3 people could make such a manic shoegaze, psychedelic, joyous noise.

Anyway, many moons later, the ever-wonderful Rough Trade bundled 2 extra disks (in store) with their 2010 album "Swim". One of these was the mixtape you see here. There's no info on the cover or disk, except what you see over on the left there. I forget where on the internet this tracklist came from and I can't vouch for it's accuracy, but here it is anyway (any info welcome!!):

1. Caribou - Bowls (Bowlapella) [City Slang/Merge]
2. Yellow Magic Orchestra - Firecracker [???]
3. Daphni - Ahora [Unreleased]
4. Crash Course In Science - Flying Turns [Stones Throw]
5. Unknown - Egyptian Wedding (Luxor) [Philips]
6. Caribou - Odessa (David Wrench’s Drumapella) [City Slang/Merge]
7. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Loft At Sea [Ecstatic Peace]
8. Moodymann - Freeki Mutha F cker [KDJ]
9. Caribou - Hannibal (Drumapella) [City Slang/Merge]
10. E.S.P - It’s You [Underground Records]
11. Kikrokos - Life’s A Jungle (Ron Hardy Edit) [White]
12. Clyde Alexander - Gotta Get Your Love [BBE]
13. Sound Stream - ‘Live’ Goes On [Sound Stream]
14. Bernard Parmegiani - Moins L’Infini [INAGRM]
15. Daphni - Arp [Unreleased]
16. Omar-S - Just Ask the Lonely.[FXHE]
17. Bernard Parmegiani - L’Impouvoir III – Les Chateaux [INA-GRM]
18. Hard House Banton - Sirens [Spoilt Rotten]
19. Thomas Mapfumo - Shumba (Daphni Edit) [Unreleased]
20. Kevin Volans - Mbira [World Network]
21. Shuggie Otis - Strawberry Letter 23 [Luaka Bop]

Start Breaking my Heart

or you can stream it here:

Washed Out - Tour cdr [2010]

OK, I'm going to get less talky, more bloggy.

Things have been a bit slow around here (mind you so have I....). Plus things have been a biased towards old stuff. That's no bad thing, but y'know I'm not one of those "things ain't what they used to be" types. No sir. In fact, there's a compilation I've done of stuff more recent stuff that I'm listening to that will appear on here soon.

I'm loving Washed Out. Here's a tour CDR that's lighting my candle at the moment. You could do a lot worse than getting yourself the "Life of Leisure" ep, "High Times" from 2009 or the forthcoming album "Within and Without"




Feel it All Around

Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers [1976]

OK, let's get this out of the way. There are certain albums I bang on about, that I love. This album is one of them. So maybe this is Part #1 of the ongoing series of "Mark's Cult Classics". Or maybe not.

It's here anyway, and from the count in to Roadrunner to the last bars of Modern World it's a stone cold classic. It's had the reissue treatment a few times, with the odd extra, but it's offered here as the originally released 9 tracks. As it should be I think.

This album was released in 1976, 2 years after the band had split. It comprised 8 tracks recorded with John Cale in 1972 and one recorded in 1971. None of the tracks were intended for release, but as demos.

The Modern Lovers tale of underachievement is told elsewhere, but in these 9 songs the band achieved more than they knew. On one piece of vinyl and 34 minutes 51 seconds they made something approaching garage rock AM radio perfection. If Iggy was the godfather of punk, Jonathan was the weird uncle.

Richman wanted to change direction, and did, contributing to the split of the band. He still produced some great music, but not of the same ilk as these tracks. Jerry Harrison went on to be a member of Talking Heads.

Wind down the windows, turn up & enjoy:

Side one
1. Roadrunner
2. Astral Plane
3. Old World
4. Pablo Picasso

Side two
1. She Cracked
2. Hospital
3. Someone I Care About
4. Girlfriend
5. Modern World

When you get out of the hospital, Let me back into your life

Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye (a tribute to Roky Erikson)

A few years after first hearing the Elevators courtesy of John Peel, he played a few tracks from an album called "Where The Pyramid Meets the Eye", a tribute to Roky Erikson.

Chances are you'll already know the Primal Scream track, it was to be included on Screamadelica. It's still amazing how many people don't know it's an Elevators track. Highlights for me are the Julian Cope cover/re-write of Roky's "I have always been here before", (Cope's version is now included on the deluxe version of his "Jehovahkill" album). Bongwater, Butthole Surfers and Jesus and Mary Chain's takes are also worth a listen. And I have to say that hearing fellow Texans ZZ Top do their high-octane distortion, Eliminator beardy-boogie to Reverberation is always entertaining! The album looks like this:

1. Reverberation (Doubt) - ZZ Top
2. If You Have Ghosts - John Wesley Harding & The Good Liars
3. I Had to Tell You - Poi Dog Pondering
4. She Lives (In a Time of Her Own) - The Judybats
5. Slip Inside This House - Primal Scream
6. You Don't Love Me Yet - Bongwater
7. I Have Always Been Here Before - Julian Cope
8. You're Gonna Miss Me - Doug Sahm & Sons
9. It's a Cold Night For Alligators - Southern Pacific
10. Fire Engine - Richard Lloyd
11. Bermuda - Vibrating Egg
12. I Walked With a Zombie - R.E.M.
13. Earthquake - Butthole Surfers
14. Don't Slander Me - Lou Ann Barton
15. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - Sister Double Happiness
16. Burn the Flames - Thin White Rope
17. Postures (Leave Your Body Behind) - Tabby Thomas, Chris Thomas
18. Nothing in Return - T-Bone Burnett
19. Reverberation (Doubt) - The Jesus and Mary Chain

Take me back to Texas, or at least 1990

13th Floor Elevators - Sign of the 3 Eyed Men

... If the sampler wasn't enough, or for those of you that didn't manage to pick up the box set reissue of the 13th Floor Elevators stuff back in 2009, you can now get the whole thing from the excellent Young Moss Tongue Blog - here

Those unfamiliar with their work may want to kick things off with "The Psychedelic Sounds of...", "Easter Everywhere" and "Bull of the Woods" their 3 officially released albums.

From what I can remember, the publicity for this reissue stated that the stereo mixes were "alternate". I'm not sure what they meant by that, but since then, these albums have been released as double disk issues, containing the original stereo mix (remastered from the master tapes) and the mono mix (remastered from an original mono edition vinyl ... something that fans did on the Roky CD Club internet-distributed stuff). These double-disk reissues really are worth buying, as they have great sleeve notes by Paul Drummond who did the superlative Eye Mind book (get if from a proper bookshop if you can, failing that use Amazon..!). Not to mention that fact that the CD box set is now long since sold out & going for silly £$ on eBay.

13th Floor Elevators - Sign of the 3 Eyed Men (sampler)

As the title of the blog gives away, we're fans of The 13th Floor Elevators over here at Easter Everywhere Towers. I did originally have in mind to do some kind of sampler/introduction, a la the ongoing Funkadelic opus, but I think the promotional only sampler for the much anticipated (and much needed) "Sign of the Three Eyed Men" remasters box set is as good a starting point as any. As far as I can tell there's at least one track from each disk of the box set, so definitely a good starting point. (Or just rush out and buy "Easter Everywhere" and "The Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators"!)

My love for the Elevators started the moment I heard John Peel playing "Slide Machine" from "Easter Everywhere" back in 1986. Who was this band? I've never heard anything quite like that before... What was that strange noise through the track? ... etc... And of course seeing Bob Parker (from the legendary Walking Seeds... subjects possibly of a future blog entry I think...) working behind the counter at Probe Records with his Elevators painted leather jacket! Nice.

If you already have the box set, the originals, the individual reissues , the new(!) vinyl box set and all, this is still a great compilation.

Slip inside this house - here