OST - Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) (@256)

... following the previous post's subject, a Stax blaxploitation soundtrack composed by Melvin Van Peebles (also director, producer, screenwriter, editor and leading actor (!!!) in the movie) and featuring Earth Wind & Fire

download link: here

album review link (allmusic): here

movie review link (allmovie): here

Stax - a compilation (@256)

With the usual two month lag, this is a compilation celebrating the 50th anniversary of Stax, a record company that for almost fifteen years was totally interwoven with the cultural identity of the black community; the other leg of Stax's importance being of course its colossal contribution in what we call soul music.

In particular, during the 60's, Stax created the so-called "Memphis Soul", which was a rough and edgy version of soul, both in sound and lyrics, and totally different from the slightly manufactured sound of Motown which presented the pop side of the 60's soul. On the turn of the 60's the Stax sound evolved in more complicated compositions and orchestrations (with the most distinctive example being the lp "Hot Buttered Soul" by Isaac Hayes) as well as in more melodic tunes (following the 70's Philly sound) but also in a Black-Power call up.

Stax Essentials: (reference: Thanasis Minas article "50 Years of Memphis Soul" in Jazz&Jazz magazine issue 10/2007 p. 26-29)

Albums:

Booker T & the MGs - Green Onions (1962)

Rufus Thomas - Walking The Dog (1964)

Otis Redding - Otis Blue (1965)

Sam & Dave - Hold On I'm Comin' (1966)

Carla Thomas - Carla (1966)

Bar-Kays - Soul Finger (1967)

Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood (1967)

Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign (1967)

Otis Redding - The Dock Of The Bay (1968)

Johnnie Taylor - Who's Making Love (1968)

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (1969)

John Lee Hooker - That's Where It's At! (1969)

Isaac Hayes - Black Moses (1971)

Booker T. & the MGs - Melting Pot (1971)

Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff (1971)

Albert King - I'll Play The Blues For You (1972)

Frederick Knight - I've Been Lonely For So Long (1972)

Staple Singers - Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (1972)

Dramatics - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (1972)

Millie Jackson - Caught Up/ Still Caught Up (1974-75)

24-Carat Black - Ghetto: Misfortune & Wealth (1975)

Compilations:

The Complete Stax/ Volt Singles, Vol.1: 1959-1968 (9 cd box set with all the singles and b-sides of the first period, a total of 244 tracks)

The Complete Stax/ Volt Singles, Vol.1: 1968-1971 (9 cd box set with all the singles and b-sides of the second period, a total of 216 tracks)

Wattstax - The Special Edition (2003 enhanced edition. 3 cds with live recordings from the s/t festival of 1972)

Soundtracks
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - Melvin Van Peebles (1971)

Shaft - Isaac Hayes (1971)

As for the following compilation, you have to excuse me but (a) I didn't follow any chronological order; I've chosen a rather "sound waving" sequence and (b) I deliberately excluded songs which I've heard more than a thousand times (without which I know that this compilation is regarded incomplete), which means... no Soul Man, no Green Onions, no Time Is Tight (which by the way you can find in the compilation Songs We Taught The Clash posted some months ago in this blog), no Knock On Wood, no Do The Funky Chicken, no Hold On I'm Comin'. Ok there are some Otis songs which I've heard more than a thousand times... but Otis' songs have to pass the limit of 10,000 to be excluded...

Tracklisting

part 1

01 Jesse Jackson - Introduction to Wattstax (live in Wattstax)

02 Kim Weston - Lift Every Voice And Sing (live in Wattstax)

03 Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes)

04 Stax's Golden 13 - Old Time Religion (live in Wattstax)

05 Otis Redding - These Arms Of Mine

06 William Bell - A Tribute To A King

07 Bar-Kays - Soul Finger

08 Dramatics - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get

09 Isaac Hayes - By The Time I Get To Phoenix

10 Staple Singers - When Will Be Paid

11 Rufus Thomas - Walking The Dog

12 Sam & Dave - When Something Is Wrong With My Baby

13 Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff

14 Little Milton - That's What Love Will Make You Do

part 2

15 Mar-Keys - Last Night

16 Shirley Brown - Woman To Woman

17 Mel & Tim - Starting All Over Again

18 Otis Redding - Respect

19 Booker T. & the M.G.'s - It's Your Thing

20 Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft (live in Wattstax)

21 Dramatics - Get Up & Get Down

22 Rufus Thomas - Itch And Scratch (part 1)

23 Johnnie Taylor - Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone (live in Wattstax)

24 Staple Singers - Respect Yourself

25 Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness

26 Linda Lyndell - What A Man

27 Roy Lee Johnson & The Villagers - The Dryer Part 1

28 Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign

29 Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

30 Isaac Hayes - Soulsville

31 Sons Of Slum - What Goes Around (Must Come Around)

part 3 - with a video

32 Johnnie Taylor - Who's Making Love

33 Inez Foxx - Circuits Overloaded

34 Bar-Kays - Son Of Shaft (live in Wattstax) (video)

download link pt1: here (link removed due to a relevant request)

download link pt2: here (link removed due to a relevant request)

download link pt3: here (link removed due to a relevant request)

links:

wikipedia, History of Stax, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story

further reading: Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story Of Stax Records - Rob Bowman

Re-uploads

Master Musicians Of Joujouka - Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka
Durutti Column - LC
Last Drive - Live In Thessaloniki

Νέο αξιόλογο online δισκοπωλείο

Μου το επισήμανε ο fax, και αξίζει τον κόπο. Νέο online κατάστημα εξειδικευμένο σε πράγματα, ελληνικά και ξένα, που έχουν κυκλοφορήσει και κυκλοφορούν ανεξάρτητες ελληνικές εταιρείες. Ρίξτε μια ματιά στo Play Our Music. Καλή επιτυχία.

Ασφαλιστικό part 1 - Υπαρκτός σοσιαλισμός προ των πυλών

Είμαι σίγουρος ότι αποκρυπτογράφησα το κρυφό νόημα της προσπάθειας ενοποίησης των ταμείων! Η (επιχείρηση) ενοποίηση(ς) περιουσιών (που δεν ανήκουν στο κράτος) των ασφαλιστικών ταμείων είναι μόνο το πρώτο βήμα. Με τον ίδιο τρόπο, το επόμενο βήμα θα είναι η ενοποίηση περιουσιών των πολιτών. Ο Βαρδινογιάννης θα (υποχρεωθεί να) μοιραστεί την περιουσία του με την κυρία Μαρία που έχει πάρει μεταπτυχιακό στη μεταφορά δανείων και καρτών, ο υιός Κόκκαλη θα δώσει την Porsche του στον Μήτσο που μοιράζει πίτσες κι ο μπαρμπα Γιώργος θα πάει να μείνει με τον Λάτση που (βλ. Eurobank) του έβγαλε το σπίτι στο σφυρί. Τρέμε κεφάλαιο! Η Νέα Δημοκρατία ξεκίνησε την υλοποίηση του μεγαλόπνοου μεταρρυθμιστικού της σχεδίου.

Συνταρακτικές αποκαλύψεις 1967-1974

Να ξαναγραφτεί πάραυτα η παραχαραγμένη ιστορία του τόπου μας! Σήμερα το πρωί, γύρω στις 9.30, στον Alpha, έπαιρναν συνέντευξη από τον αγωνιστή, τον υπέρμαχο των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων, τον τιμητή της δημοκρατίας, το Στυλιανό Παττακό, ο οποίος αποκάλυψε ότι "στη δικτατορία δεν έπεσε ούτε χαστούκι". Πέραν της πλάκας τώρα. Οκ, συμφωνώ με το ότι στη δημοκρατία όλοι πρέπει να έχουν βήμα και ο καθένας να μπορεί να εκθέτει ελεύθερα ότι πιστεύει. Επίσης, είναι όντως χρήσιμο να εκθέτονται (και με τις δύο έννοιες της λέξης) τέτοιου είδους άνθρωποι ΟΜΩΣ (α) νομίζω ότι σε επετείους σαν και τη σημερινή ο λόγος θα πρέπει να δίνεται στους ανθρώπους που ΕΝΑΝΤΙΩΘΗΚΑΝ στο όποιο κατεστημένο καθώς αυτοί δημιούργησαν την επέτειο και συνεπώς αυτούς θα πρέπει να τιμούμε (β) ειδικά σήμερα, 17 Νοέμβρη μήπως το να δώσεις βήμα στο συγκεκριμένο άτομο αποτελεί ύβρη προς τους ανθρώπους που έδωσαν τη ζωή τους και βασανίστηκαν για να μπορούμε να ζούμε σήμερα σε δημοκρατικά πλαίσια; (το ποια είναι αυτά σήμερα στη χώρα μας είναι μια άλλη πολύ μεγάλη κουβέντα).

ΥΓ Τώρα που το ξανασκέφτομαι, όντως στη δικτατορία από το ίδιο το χέρι του Παττακού πολύ πιθανό να μη έπεσε χαστούκι...

Them - Angry Young Them (UK issue) (1965) (@256)

It is very nice to see Van Morrison in the UK top 10 of albums. His latest compilation ("Still On Top") is packed with amazing songs. After all, there aren't many artists that have not released a single flop album throughout a 4-decade career.

This upload is Them's debut lp with a youngster Van Morrison posing in the front cover as the band leader.

download link: here (link removed due to a relevant request)

album review link (wikipedia): here

Electrelane - promo cd (@256)

We read from Electrelane.com:
"We have decided that the upcoming gigs will be our last for the foreseeable future. After ten years of much fun and hard work, we have realised that we all need a break and time to do other things. This was a tough decision for us to make, but ultimately a positive one. A big thank you to everyone who has come to our shows, put on our shows and bought our records over the years. It means a lot to us. We're really grateful to have had the opportunity to play gigs all over the world and to meet so many lovely people. This last year has been especially enjoyable and we feel happy about moving on with all these good memories to look back on. At the moment we haven't made any band plans for the future, but we're going to have a break and see what happens."

This is indeed very sad news for me since I was a big fan of their very distinctive sound combining unearthly soundscapes with a swirling farfisa. I was lucky enough though to see them live several times since Athens was one of the band's favourite tour stops. The uploaded cd was given free with the concert tickets from their visit in 2002. Farewell...

Tracklisting:
1 I've Been Your Fan Since Yesterday
2 Film Music (Echoboy remix)

download link: here (mirrorcreator) or here (rapidshare)

Dead Can Dance - Garden Of The Arcane Delights (1984) (@256)

Since I've dealt with Dead Can Dance, here is their sole ep release. The cover art is a sketch done by Brendan Perry and represents the themes of the song "The Arcane". As Perry explains:
…The naked blindfolded figure, representing primal man deprived of perception, stands, within the confines of a garden (the world) containing a fountain and trees laden with fruit. His right arm stretches out - the grasping for knowledge - towards a fruit bearing tree, its trunk encircled by a snake. In the garden wall - the wall between freedom and confinement - are two gateways: the dualistic notion of choice. It is a Blakean universe in which mankind can only redeem itself, can only rid itself of blindness, through the correct interpretation of signs and events that permeate the fabric of nature's laws.

ep review link: here

download link: here (mirrorcreator) or here (rapidshare)

Dead Can Dance - Live in Athens, Lycabettus Theatre, 18-6-96

On Friday night Lisa Gerrard gave a superb performance in Pallas theatre, Athens. Here are some photos taken by Olga K. and uploaded in avopolis.











This is the third time that Lisa visits Greece for concerts; the other two were with Dead Can Dance. The uploaded bootleg is from her second visit.

Tracklisting:
01 Bynlar (cut)
02 Rakim
03 Song Of The Dispossessed
04 Yulunga (The Spirit Dance)
05 The Snake And The Moon
06 Tristan
07 Sanvean
08 ?
09 ?
10 American Dreaming
11 Indus
12 ?
13 Dedicace Outo
14 Dreams Made Flesh

download link: here

Mooney Suzuki - Electric Sweat (2002) (@256)

This is a group that took its name from the two vocalists of Can (Malcolm Mooney, Damo Suzuki). Their sound though, has nothing to do with Can's sound. In this album (where, the front cover pays homage to Grand Funk Railroad's s/t album) Mooney Suzuki play a fast, sweaty and angry three-chord garage punk that had enthused critics and music fans. The selection of the Matrix as production team for their subsequent album though, proved to be a disastrous choice.

album review link: here

download link: here

Re-uploads

Fugs - Fugs Second Album
KLF - The White Room

Damo Suzuki & Now - The London Evening News (2004) (@224)

Here is a review by Nick Southgate from Wire magazine:
"Bob Dylan is not the only artist on a neverending tour: Damo Suzuki picks up a different outfit at every stop, and in March 2004 at London's Bull & Gate, he hooked up with Now, who had already been forging their own melange of Krautrock, synth pop and lo-fi for a few years. The result is an explosive set that holds well against anything Suzuki recorded in or outside of Can.
The album creeps into life as Damo's guttural whispers and stutters get "Knopp Off" into gear. The group knock themselves into shape one rimshot and wah-snag at a time until the piece rolls itself into a shuddering, funky whole. "Metro Girl" has a tinny hi-hat tempo, swaying with low-slung bass and mangled disco-zaps from the keyboard. "One And One Equal One" is another honourable entry in 'the short history of poor mathematics in rock' and is also a hypnotic slice of motorik fuzz to boot. Its followed up by the one downbeat moment on the album, "Acid Test", a slow paced fragmentary lament. The closing workout is the magnificent "The Zero Game", an ARP synth-loop fued bounce boogie with a two-note guitar part that Michael Karoli would have been proud of. In the latter stages it features that rarest and most precious of things - some psych trumpet playing that adds a glorious spray of Technicolor energy not heard since The Beatles' far-out excursion "Its All Too Much".

links:
Damo Suzuki
Now - the Band

download link: here

Can - Ege Bamyasi (1972) (@256)

This is the third album of Can with Damo Suzuki as a vocalist.

download link: here (link removed)

album review link (allmusic): here

Savina Yannatou & Primavera En Saloniko - Terra Nostra (2001) (@256)

review link: here

download link (with booklet): here

Damo Suzuki with Savina Yannatou and Stationary Machinery @ Kitaro Club, Athens, November, 3, 2007

For years now, Damo Suzuki (Can's vocalist during their most fruitful period with four classic Kraut-rock albums) has been engaged on a non-stop, never-ending world tour, going from city to city, his "network" of musicians often involving guest locals, sitting in for one unforgettable night only. In his stop to Athens his network comprised of Savina Yannatou, a singer with tremendous vocal abilities, a world music star (currently in the famous world music record company ECM) mostly known for her interpretation of traditional material from Greece, Corsica, Italy, Sicily, Galicia, Palestine, Albania, Israel, Bulgaria, Armenia, Turkey, Moldavia etc. Unfortunately I did not know the group Stationary Machinery that is also part of the Athens network but I read that they are a post-industrial project with members Dimitris Kamarotos (wind-controlled electronics) and Tilemachos Mousas (Brazilian merimbau, electric guitar and theremin). What should someone expect from such blend? Well...

Be warned! You are entering in very dangerous sonic territories. What I saw and recorded yesterday, was a performance of utter improvisation. Both Suzuki and Yannatou offered 90 minutes of unintelligible vocal acrobatics, backed by two musicians in the first part and four in the second that were setting the "framework" for this extreme concert of sonic terrorism. Although Suzuki was definitely the driving force here, it was Yannatou that proved, under the most difficult conditions, that her unique voice has such vast range that reminds sometimes Diamanda Galas, sometimes Elizabeth Fraser and sometimes Maddy Prior.

It is up to you to decide whether this performance is the result of a musical genius, or of an artist that under his despair for his loss of inspiration has been led in a wanking production of uncomfortable noise. I know what I believe, I'm waiting for your comments.

download link: here

P.S. More "conventional" recordings from Suzuki and Yannatou will follow.

Judy Garland - Judy At Carnegie Hall (1961) (@256)

I read that Rufus Wainwright will release a cd and a dvd in December featuring the critically acclaimed Judy Garland shows that he gave last year. For those who don't know, Rufus gave some tribute concerts to Judy Garland's live album "Judy At Carnegie Hall" (circa 1961), where he interpreted it in its exact track order. The forthcoming cd and dvd will be from his concerts at Carnegie Hall N.Y. and London Palladium respectively.

See him performing "San Francisco" in London


Someone needs guts and a great talent to perform live these songs and this video Rufus proves that he has both. Here is a very nice pre-show article by the New York Times and here is the N.Y. concert's review from Mojo

The Rufus releases were a unique opportunity to upload the original album, which is in my personal top10 of live albums.

album review link (allmusic): here

download link (cd1): here
download link (cd2+booklet): here

Σοκ στην παγκόσμια μουσική κοινότητα! Κλέφτες οι Coldplay!

Hats off to Guy.

Σας πήραν χαμπάρι και οι πέτρες ρεεεε!