various artists - Spin This V

I've been laying pretty low on purchases since the first of the year. But I broke edge a few days ago; a record nerd can't stay out of the thrift store for long. I stumbled across this now-31-year-old sampler from Spin Magazine, and immediately flashed back to seeing the video for "Undone (The Sweater Song" in my neighbor's den for the first time. His folks kept the shades well drawn, so what natural light made it in had this yellow tinge to it. We stopped what we doing at the first beats from Patrick Wilson; it was unlike anything we'd ever heard up 'til then. Fuckin' Weezer, man. Always brings a smile to my face.

Plus: Mazzy Star! Frente! covering New Order! Major label Meat Puppets! Morphine! Guided By Voices! Plus a bunch of stuff that 30 years on I still don't recognize outside of a radio station giveaway bin. Kinda perfect for this space. I can never resist throwing a buck to a animal rescue or a job's program in return for something like this.

Discogs

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various artists - Northcore: The Polar Scene Compilation

Just your run of the mill Swedish punk and hardcore comp from 30 years ago, split between bands I knew already and bands I didn't.until I laid my paws on this eighth release from the esteemed Burning Heart Records.

Yeah, so I know Refused all too well, Randy, Fireside, Doughnuts, and Abhinanda. I feel varying levels of interest in them. But to discover Drift Apart or Breach here was well worth the $2 I think I spent earlier this year. Somebody like Shredhead isn't what I would seek out, what with their proto-nu metal groove thrash, but it's not bad. It's the kind of scene curiousity that existed a lot back in the 90s and seems to have died away as the internet consumes us all.

Discogs

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various artists - Amateur Soundtrack - A Film By Hal Hartley

"I am a star / A Hal Hartley movie / I read my lines / Straight faced in the mirror"

 Kind Of Like Spitting, "Your Favorite Actor"

Here's another Matador soundtrack from the mid 90s, this time from Hal Hartley''s fifth film, 1994's Amateur.

Does it feature Martin Donovan? You bet it does.

Is Parker Posey in it? She is not.

It does star Isabelle Huppert, a secret crush of mine, as an ex-nun named "Isabelle" who gets wrapped up in criminal hijinks spining out of her new career as a pornographer.

Did you get all that? I was told recently I had a way with log lines, but I dunno.

This is one of the places where Liz Phair, My Bloody Valentine, and the Jesus Lizard could comfortably rub elbows back in those days. And I find the Ned Rifle/Jeffrey Taylor score to be a pretty great appendix to what would have otherwise been a decent Lollapalooza 1995 sampler.

8/10. Now go watch the movie. You're going to have to find a physical copy, tho; it's ain't on streaming here in the States.

Discogs

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various artists - Cheapo Crypt Sampler

There was a time in my capricious youth where I balked at paying $7 for a sampler of preivously-released songs. And, thankfully, there was someone there to help me pull my head out of my spacious rectum.

You see, this one has gotten a ton of play in the approximately 20-some-odd years since I nabbed my first copy of it. When I first encountered it, I only knew the JSBE and Thee Headcoats, both via some late night MTV encounters and Spin magazine backpages. But the Oblivians and Gories, a pair of Memphis creeps if ever there were such a duo, were what held onto me, with "Nitroglycerine" and "Sunday You Need Love" making their way onto a few turn of the millenium mixtapes.

While my initial copy eventually disappeared in one of the periodic cleansings I conducted back then (I miss my old tape collection), it was one of the first things I downloaded when I got my first iPod and high speed internet connection. Which long-dead blog did I find this on? Who was the keeper of sleazy punk that provided me with a digital copy in gleaming 128kbps? The name and place has been lost to the ages, but whenever I needed a fair swath of 90s underground rock, I'd turn to this, and turn it up loud.

A few months ago, I was trawling eBay for inexpensively priced CDs (as is my habit). A seller in Ohio had a stack of sixteen Crypt CDs for $100 for sale. It was a pretty fair price for a bunch of records I owned digitally, but no longer held physical copies of. I saved it, and a few days later came an offer to pick it up for $80, I couldn't turn it down. Both New Bomb Turks full-lengths, both Gories LPs, the Raunch Hands, Pagans, and a pair of Lazy Cowgirls CDs? How could I pass? I'm not made of stone. And to cap it off, a copy of "Cheapo Crypt Sampler", here to be re-ripped at 320kbps and shared with y'all.

I didn't even have to pay $7 this time around. How's that for a good time?

Discogs

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various artists - Infinite Zero Promotional CD #1

I initially had another release planned for today; you'll get that one next Monday.

But then James Chance passed away Tuesday, June 18th, and I felt like it was a good time to share this label sampler from 30 years ago. I remember finding this in the promo bin at the first record store I worked in, just a year after it came out. But it was a revelation for me, led off by the Contortions' "Design To Kill", and followed by the likes of Devo, Gang of Four, Alan Vega, and Tom Verlaine. Hell, there's a LL Cool J track here. I'm guessing it's a result of Infinite Zero being a Rick Rubin/Henry Rollins joint venture.

RIP to a real one. There ain't many of his like left.

Discogs

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various artists - If I Were A Carpenter

Let's face it; this is probably the only time I'll ever post something with Sheryl Crow on it.

But this is an important record, right? There had been tribute records before, but this one came out on A&M Records, home to Burt Bacharach and Cat Stevens and Janet Jackson and the Police and, yes, the Carpenters. And for every Sheryl Crow and Dishwalla, who both easily fit under the broad "alternative" banner 30 years ago, there were also Redd Kross, Shonen Knife, and Babes In Toyland. It also led to a very memorable (to me) video of Sonic Youth performing "Superstar". Would it surprise you to learn that Richard Carpenter doesn't like that version of "Superstar"? 

No, that's not Margaret Keane artwork; it's a reasonable facsimile of Karen & Richard listening to records. It's an indelible image from that time for me; I remember seeing POP in the backroom of the first record store I worked in, a small signifier that I was amongst fellow travelers, weirdos who might put their own twist on the most saccharine of art.

Discogs

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various artists - Yoyo A Go Go

It's been a few years since I last posted anything from Pat Maley's Yoyo Recordings. But it's been thirty years since the first Yoyo A Go Go, and since I'm less than 80 miles away, as opposed to the 2,800 or so that I was back then, I thought it was time to pay this one a visit, and share it with you fine peep-holes.

Let me tell you what I recollect about this time. I was listening to my cassette of International Piop Underground Convention a lot in the spring of 1994, so when I heard that something similar was going to take place that summer...well, I didn't give it a ton of thought, because how was I going to go from Boones Mill, Virginia to magical Olympia? Especially since I found out a few weeks before school ended that we were leaving the sticks for suburban Baltimore,

But it was definitely intriguing. And, in retrospect, a little bit gumption could have gotten me out there on a four-day Greyhound with more than a few of my hard-earned Taco Bell dollars in my pocket. And who would I have seen? Unwound, Heavens to Betsy, Excuse 17, and Team Dresch remain the big names for me, even this far down the line. How cool would it have been to see Codeine, or Cub, or two thirds of Yo La Tengo, or Neutral Milk Hotel? Would I have even been into it back then? Or would it have been one of those moments I would have only appreciated in retrospect?

I suppose it's better to regret something you have done, rather than somehing you haven't done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get up in someone's face and scream "SATAN!" over and over again.

Discogs

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various artists - The New Wave In Jazz

I swear to God, I didn't die in a ditch over New Year's.

I actually went to the in laws in Central California, where I had a pretty rad time with my recently mobile and speechifying niece. But I forgot to bring my laptop, which meant a month without any blogging. Sorry, gang.

I may come back later to flesh this one out. I don't have much in mind right this second, so stay tuned for the postscript. It's ridiculous that this one hasn't been reissued for 30 years, and that the Ayler cut that appeared on the original LP isn't present on this 1994 GRP/Impulse! CD. Still, it's a killer early document of the burgeoning free jazz scene in NYC, one that drew pretty polarized reviews back in the day.

Either you get it, or you don't.

Discogs

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various artists - Johnny Hanson Presents Puck Rock Vol. 1

As the weather gets colder and wetter, a man's sporting mind moves to hockey. And what better soundtrack than a Canadian, hockey-themed punk rock compilation, fronted by the heretofore-unknown fourth Hanson Brothrer, Johnny?

Released by Wrong Records in 1994, this one features all the mid-80s Canuck luminaries you'd expect to find on a release like this. Joey Shithead makes two appearances; one fronting D.O.A., the other fronting Cub. SNFU stands side by side with NoMeansNo side project Hanson Brothers. The greatest discovery for me was hearing Jughead's "Hockey Song", who sound like Motörhead playing bluegrass, with the attendant fantastic results.

There's a second volume that, if I find it for a less than $5, I'm guaranteed to pick up. Just a real fun time.

Discogs

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various artists - Eternity: An East Coast Hardcore Compilation

This here's a super solid entry into the canon of mid-90s hardcore, featuring a trio of contributions from DC's McTiernan axis (Ashes, Battery, Damnation A.D.), as well as great tracks from Lifetime and Ressurrection, and a song each from Dayspring and Trial By Jury, hailing from Virginia. Rounding this one out is label owner Craig Chapman's band, Soulow; easily the least impressive cut here, but their only recorded output, and tracked by Ken Olden of Damnation A.D./Battery.

It's a nice snapshot of what went down at the Safari Club in DC, a space that I thought had burned down before I moved to Baltimore, and thus never attended. But I guess I got left off the flier guest list, or it was just more comfortable driving north or west to Allentown or Hagerstown or Easton or Miltown for HC shows.

Hot tip: The Ashes song slams...makes you wonder why they have never gotten the recognition they so wildly deserve.

Discogs

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Elvin Jones "Special Quartet" – Tribute To John Coltrane: A Love Supreme

I may not believe in God, but I do believe that "A Love Supreme" is sacred music.

Here's drummer Elvin Jones' recreating one of my most treasured recordings with Wynton Marsalis rearranging the music for trumpet. It never got released here in the States; this is an EU release.

It ranks fourth of my list of recordings of "A Love Supreme".

Discogs

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Candy Machine - A Modest Proposal

Last week, I wrote a bit about Candy Machine's third and final LP.

This week, it's their second full length, released by Minneapolis' Skene Records and later picked up by EastWest Records as Baltimore's contribution to the Great Punk Acquisition Frenzy Of 1994.

I'm not sure what A&R thought this was a good record to throw out to the record buying public, but I'm grateful they did. It's my favorite CM record.

Discogs

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Alan Vega - New Raceion

It's the end of the month, and I'm clearing the decks with the record that's been living in my Mediafire files for the longest time. It's time to share Alan Vega's 1993 album, "New Raceion".

At the risk of seeming like a dick, I've run out of things to say about Vega's early 90s output. I'm glad it exists; it's not anything I listen to regularly (unlike the 1st Suicide record). Here you go; "enjoy" it.

Discogs

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Contortions - Buy

Fuhhhhhhhhhhhh...this record is sooooooooo good. Like, "knock your dick in the dirt with the ants and cocaine" and "slap yr mommy" good. Without a doubt one of the highlights of no wave and the Downtown scene and definitely probably my favorite James Chance recording. At least for today.

Words escape me. Skronk away.

Postscript: I didn't know it when I wrote this, but the masters at Superior Viaduct just announced a vinyl reissue of "Buy" is coming in June, all for the measly cost of two sawbucks. This is a MUST own.

Discogs

Click here to download.

シェラック - Live In Tokyo

Shellac of North America record no. 5. A full blown banger that was released in Japan by K.K. Null's home, Nux Organization, and one that only ever came Stateside via bootlegs. This was ripped from my own bootleg copy of the Nux release. I would argue I prefer it over "At Action Park", but I think it's because I tend to get contrarian about Shellac. Which is what I assume esteemed poker player Mr. Albini would prefer.

I learned today, in between boxing up a bunch of CDs and watching the entire first season of "Reacher", that the founder of [shiny grey monotone], Ipecac, died in 2021. To quote his running mate Grey:

I feel an obligation to carry on in his honor because as goofy as blogging about music can be, it meant a lot to him, and the power of music is real. Harnessing these seemingly magical currents out of thin air in a way that makes music really is beguiling, and even after punishing my ears with it for decades, I still find the same thrill in hearing just the right combination of sounds. It will never cease to amaze.

Whenever I feel like stopping the writing permanently, I end up coming across another goddamned record like this, and I'm drawn to a very similar emotion as that which Grey refers to above. It is a solopistic, quixotic gesture to keep blogging for free about relatively obscure recordings in 2022. Yet I must, because there's someone who hasn't experienced this magical moment, captured 29 years ago and thousands of miles away, and to keep that magic to myself would be a sin.

Discogs

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Tori Amos - Europe 1992

Rabbit, rabbit, old friends. Welcome to March 2022. Apparently, I only remember to wish you a "Rabbit, Rabbit" every March.

Here's some live Tori Amos from 1992...just here, a piano, a German audience, songs from "Little Earthquakes", and a pair of Zep and Nirvana covers. I found this a couple years back on a Goodwill shelf for $3, and who am I to turn down a Tori Amos bootleg for $3? Who are you to turn it down, for that matter? You think you're too good for 30-year-old alternative rock, back when that meant something?

OK, I'll calm down now.

Discogs

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Pee Tanks - Picnic With Your Mom

Well, at least I know honored pal o' the blog and regular mix master Jonder is stopping by. Glad to have you, old chum.

I was kinda surprised that I haven't shared this, a classic Maryland punk rock record that is FUCK ME 28 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR! The Pee Tanks were the only Baltimore (ok, Annapolis [ok, Bowie {?}]) band I'd already heard when I moved there in 1994, courtesy of their cut from the still-classic "Baltimore: The City That Breeds" comp that someone slapped onto a mixtape for me. I'm not certain I ever got to see them, but this was an early purchase from Reptilian during one of my first visits there, and has lived in my collection ever since. Dare I say this sits well in any collection of ALL, Crimpshrine, Less Than Jake, and all manner of proto-.org-core bands?

It's worth jamming out to, is what I'm saying.

Discogs

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The Mummies - 1994 Peel Sessions

Happy All Hallows' Eve, me cobbers. Last year, I threw up a Mummies' post that the kids seemed to dig, so let's continue that tradition with another 7" slab of garage rock delights. This time, it's their 1994 Peel Session, bootlegged the following year and featuring a pretty great cover featuring our heroes in fine, cartoon fettle. I feel like it's well worth the $10 or so you'd pay from a Discogs seller, but you be the judge.

Break out your clodhoppers, light up the candles in the carved-out pumpkins, and blast on high.

Discogs

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John Coltrane - My Favorite Things (Live In Europe 1963)

I don't have much to say about this recording other than the following:

• Here's John Coltrane's classic quartet (Coltrane, Garrison, Jones, Tyner) performing live in Europe circa 1963...at least, that's what the spare information inside this quasi-legit release says
• This was a purchase from Bibelot Books & Music in Bel Air, MD, circa 1996, shortly after I got my first copy of A Love Supreme and fell deeply in lust with the rare musician worthy of their own church. I totally thought it was a budget copy of My Favorite Things...I didn't know better
• It's a pair of songs originally cut during Coltrane's excellent Atlantic run, as well as a deeper cut from his recording with the Red Garland Trio (1958, Prestige Records). I'm not Bob Thiele or Rudy van Gelder, but this shows Coltrane's quartet moving further away from bop sounds and into modal jazz mode
• This beats the hell out 99.9% of the records in my collection, even if it's a cruddy Euro live CD from the 90s with dodgy provenance

I would LOVE to hear more about this actual recording, if you're more of a scholar than I am.

Discogs

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Matthew Shipp Trio - Circular Temple

As these things typically go nowadays, I've finished work around 2-3 in the morning, and I've had too much caffeine to comfortably go to bed, so I figure, "I'll just kick out a couple hundred words to burn my brain down a bit, then off to bed like a good boy," to do it all over again in 6 hours. But there's something to be said, something stuck in my head, demanding to explode, before the eyes get heavy and the brain quiets down.

I've been picking up the Infinite Zero reissues from the mid-90s wherever I can find them for a decent price. I'm down to only having a dozen left to pick up, and, had I not just spent a bunch of money on today's Vinegar Syndrome flash sale, I'd probably snag a couple more this weekend. My most recent acquisitions are a disc I'm holding for Halloween and this, pianist Matthew Shipp's third record as a bandleader. It's a free jazz take on what makes listening to Thelonious Monk so great, which I suppose is why I like this a lot. I often get lost in the avant garde from this period, but this grabs me in a way that few of Shipp's contemporaries from the late-80s do. Sadly, long out of print...so here it is for your Friday pleasure.

Only super cool kidz will own this on cassette. Duh.

Discogs

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