Reggae: Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters - All The Hits

Deceptive title: it's everything but all the hits. It's a very obscure album in fact. No artwork or linernotes and only songs I've never seen on another album. Which makes it interesting ofcourse. The material is genuine Lee Perry material, no doubt, and of varying quality. The ordinary reggae enthousiast will probably find 3 or 4 songs to his/her liking, I do recommend this to Scratch-lovers. A few excellent songs, something naughty ("Look how me dick a jump, spilling like a waterpump"), a stoned session with a microphone on and so on.
(Tracklist: except for the last song)

Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters - All The Hits
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Blues: Howlin' Wolf His Best Vol. 2

Howlin' Wolf part 2 of 3. Not the 'Hits' like vol. 1 but just as much Howlin' Wolf; these CD's are complementary and should have been released as a double album. Would actually be nice to see a Chess release 'His Best Vol. 3'. I can't have enough Wolf.
The last track on this CD is a version of 'The Red Rooster' from the "The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions", which will be the last part later this week.

Howlin' Wolf His Best Vol. 2
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Blues: Howlin' Wolf His Best

This album was released in an excellent re-issue serie from Chess, I'm not sure if they're still releasing new material. Howlin' Wolf has been covered extensively so consider this part 1.
This one's got all the 'hits', whether made big by Howlin' Wolf or in countless cover versions. (Tracklist)
Essential stuff for everyone.

Howlin' Wolf His Best
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The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us

The classic 1st album from the band that redefined rock 'n roll. 'Sunglasses after dark' is reason enough to start a band, the other songs make your adrenalin flow aswell. I've had this CD for ages but it's still my dearest Cramps. + 5 Bonustracks but that's not something you care about when 'T.V. Set' is blaring out your speakers.
It's easy to understand why this music makes you mimic a blowjob on a microphone and makes you wear stileto heels. Happens to the best of us, Lux.

The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us
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Stereo Total - Do The Bambi

I somehow found an MP3 called 'I am naked' by Stereo Total. I'd never heard of them before and decided to find the album from which that song came. I couldn't, therefore I bought their latest album (almost a year ago). Upon listening I discovered the song 'Je suis nue'.
I suppose that's what you get when a French woman and a German guy get together to make pop music. I love their songwriting and electronics, so I'll go listen to their new release 'Discotheque' (came out this month and contains remixes from Do The Bambi).

Stereo Total - Do The Bambi
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Reggae: The Story Of Treasure Isle

Reggae lovers are fortunate people but it also doesn't take much to make them happy. A double CD will do for starters. Legendary label Treasure Isle doesn't fit on 2 CD's (2 x 26 tracks) ofcourse but you can get a good idea of the versatility and quality of the music for a relatively low price. (Tracklist)
Ska, rocksteady and reggae, from 60's into 70's, it's all here.

The Story Of Treasure Isle
Part 1
Part 2
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Soul: Bettye Swann

The 2004 (re-)discovery of Bettye Swann brought her her 15 minutes of fame and gave us this great album. Smooth and relaxed southern soul, among the 22 tracks many songs also performed by others which can be used for comparison. And Betty Swann stands her ground. Good linernotes.

Bettye Swann - Bettye Swann
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Hot Women

A remarkable collection of music: essentially 'the best of' somebody's collection of 78 RPM records. This somebody being Robert Crumb which may tell you something about the artwork.
Old music, mostly from around 1930, and from everywhere, Australia being the only continent not featured on this album. It leads to a very diverse and intriguing serie of songs, the only aspect they've in common is the main vocal being female (in many different languages).
Music sound is excellent thanks to remastering and restoration of original 78 RPM records, linernotes are supplied whenever possible.

Hot Women, Women Singers From The Torrid Regions
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Peasall Sisters - Home To You

Their voices can be heard on the 'O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack (that's how I got to know them) and that's brought them a Grammy award. This second album, produced by John Carter Cash, is more of the same. Heavenly girlvoices on country material. It's the quality of the singing that does the trick, listen for yourself. And read their boring biography.

Peasall Sisters - Home To You
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Bauer - Baueresque

Carefully composed album by Dutch duo. Bauer knows what it's doing but make it sound so... "breezy". Just listening to a voice can be interesting, especially when the music does a careful job in supporting and carrying.
I suppose I can call this 'SingSong' but it doesn't have the heaviness of other singer songwriters. Same with jazz; it's there but not as you know it. It's simply lovely, it's baueresque.

Bauer - Baueresque
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Oi Va Voi - Laughter Through Tears

It's a brittish ensemble with strong jewish roots. For me it's most important that they sound alright. As far as I'm concerned everything's a form of triphop and these guys are no exception.
Intelligent and tasteful music, excellent for a sunday afternoon joint but especially the atmosphere on the album is just right. Great work of art.
Oi Va Voi - Laughter Through Tears
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McKay - McKay

That's Stephanie McKay, young American singer who got too little attention for her debut album IMHO. It's a clever mix of hip hop, r'n'b, triphop, reggae, soul, etc. all crafted in a single album, not the discovery of the century but very well a favorite for the summer. It also helps to get some productional assistance from Geoff Barrow.
Check here:

McKay - McKay
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Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

I was told this is one of those hype bands but that doesn't stop me from liking it. Let's try my hand at some 'real' music journalism: "this is where the Talking Heads meet Radiohead", at least that's my impression.
Actually, what intrigued me the most was the question how many people would fuck up such a thing and end up clapping yeah and saying your hands?

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
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Vic Chesnutt - Ghetto Bells

I'd never thought I'd recommend a Vic Chesnutt album to anyone but here it is: I like it. Probably the exception to the rule but perhaps I need to get to know his work better. I'd go sofar as to suggest the man can actually sing. No, worse: I found myself humming along to the CD and one time even whistling a melody from this album.
Technically I'm confused. It seemed a sensible thing to put the CD on again in order to understand my confusion a little better but it resulted in me liking the CD a little better each time and aggravating my confusion. Whatever, judge for yourself but don't say I didn't warn you.

Vic Chesnutt - Ghetto Bells
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Gruppo Sportivo - Back to '78 & Copy Copy

The best kept secret of the Netherlands, Gruppo Sportivo had their biggest success at the end of the '70's, early 80's but still exists. This is a 2000 re-issue of 2 classic Gruppo albums on 1 CD (+ extensive linernotes). Discover a band which contained everything from brilliant songwriting to embarrassing cheesiness and everything in between on an album. You'll love the aggressive new wave pop music and the tongue in cheek lyrics of a band which had 'original' spraypainted all over them.

Gruppo Sportivo - Back to '78 & Copy Copy
Part 1
Part 2
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'Gimme Dat Harp Boy' - Roots of the Captain

This could very well be my most favorite album EVER! The idea was to come up with a list of songs that (could) have been an inspiration for Captain Beefheart. The result is a compilation of remarkable rarities, from blues to jazz, from classical to rock 'roll, including types like Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Lord Buckley. Apart from a few interviewsnippets, a poem and 1 song there's no Captain Beefheart on this album; it's about him. This is for everybody with a very broad taste in music and a desire to look over known horizons. Tracklist.

'Gimme Dat Harp Boy' - Roots of the Captain
Part 1
Part 2
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Soul: Northern Soul Floorshakers!

Afaik is 'Northern Soul' one of the most treacherous terms in music since 'northern' is an adjective about where the music became famous and has nothing to do with the music itself. It is a name used and abused to release many compilations of varying quality. This one's ok, musicwise and with linernotes.
"20 Anthems & Rarities from the RCA Vaults" contains what it says it does, mostly unknown dance hits and a few songs more hard to categorize but not less entertaining.
Northern Soul Floorshakers! 20 Anthems & Rarities from the RCA Vaults
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60's collection: My Mind Goes High

Or "Psychedelic Pop Nuggets From The Wea Vaults", meaning very much 60's sounds, obscure but not too weird. Artwork / linernotes are OK.
This is apparently a re-issue of a Rhino record "Hallucinations" about which: "Hallucinations gathers 24 psych pop treasures released between 1966 and 1969 -- none of them available on Rhino's Nuggets boxed sets."
It's actually quite an enjoyable collection of 60's stuff.

My Mind Goes High Psychedelic Pop Nuggets From The Wea Vaults
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The best of Amadou & Mariam

I've a bit of a blind spot for African music. There's a world out there that I don't know anything of, partly because I'm not that interested and partly because there's already more music I'd like to listen to than I've time for. My ignorance made me thus nearly miss this beautiful diamond of African music.
This couple is from Mali to be precise and the CD is a best of from their 3 albums ('98, '99 & '02). There's no weak song on this album and their distinctive (at least, to me) style captures you immediately.
Artwork and linernotes are so-so, the music is magnificent.

The best of Amadou & Mariam
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Audiotransparent - Nevland

Somber, melancholic, even sinister. It's hard to grasp Audiotransparent. The music is transparent for sure, always beautiful and thoughtful. More autumn than any other part of the year.
Dutch band Audiotransparent's second album is an intriguing set of songs, not for everyone or every moment but in it's own league. Give it a try:

Audiotransparent - Nevland
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Reggae: Studio One Roots vol. 2

Essential stuff. No big hits but nevertheless essential reggae. Even people with a profound dislike in reggae might find themselves bobbing their heads on this one. Very diverse record, good linernotes. It's perhaps not in the same league as Judge Dread (see previous) :-P but you gotta love this. Reggaefans are relatively spoiled with many good re-releases, this is even more cream on the pie. (Tracklist + review)
Studio One Roots vol. 2

For Victor: Judge Dread

Leeched using LimeWire, I compiled a set of necessary recordings by the Judge including, but not limited to: Big 1, Big 5, Big 6 (both the classic and the faster version), Big 7, Big 8, Big 9 and Big 10.
For good measure 'Up with the cock' and 4 bonustracks. May the honorable Alex Hughes rest in peace.
Allright... Get Ready!

*update* Dead (the upload I mean). I may have these tracks backed up somewhere, I may not. I may replace these tracks sometime, I may not. :-)

SingSong: Sarah Blasko - The Overture and the Underscore

SingSong from Australia. Me likes. You too?

Sarah Blasko - The Overture and the Underscore
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Audio Active - Happy Happer

"Dub" would fit best but it's definitely not Jamaican (it's Japanese in fact). The Tokyo space cowboys of Audio Active constructed this lovely, spacy vehicle of electronics and bass in 1995 as their second album. English vocals, but it helps to have a high marijuana tolerance to 'get into' this album. Join Audio Active in their Adventure In Time & Space.
(This is from the original CD, not the rerelease from 2003.)

Audio Active - Happy Happer
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:)

Blues: Memphis Minnie - Black Widow Stinger

"Black Widow Stinger: The Essential Recordings Of Memphis Minnie Vol. 2" AKA cheap compilation with a shitload of good tracks. I don't know enough of Memphis Minnie to determine what's essential and what's not. Sufficient to say that you'll find 24 tracks on this CD to give you a good picture of Memphis Minnie and provide you with very nice blues music. She's one my favorite bluesartists of all time, easily equal to Howlin'Wolf and Muddy Waters. For those in the know: these recordings were made between 1935 and 1941.

Memphis Minnie - Black Widow Stinger
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The device formerly known as AudioScrobbler

I'm sure Last.FM has many fine things to offer, I can't appreciate them due to some registration difficulties (and appalling service from their side). I am however since 13 february 2005 a user of AudioScrobbler, a nifty little plugin that tells the world what I'm listening to when I'm using my trusted mediaplayer WinAmp. Everything else I hear is only recorded by my ears (and the neighbour's) but you can have an idea: http://www.last.fm/user/caesartjalbo/
Artist with a few but long pieces of music get a bit underexposed, everything I listen to via MS MediaPlayer or Realplayer doesn't get recorded (although there are plugins for them too), it's not hooked up to any soundsystem outside my pc, it doesn't work when the ID3 tags aren't supplied, etc, etc. It does, however, keep track of the stuff I listen to. A shocking amount of Captain Beefheart in my case, for example.

Soul: Irma Thomas - Straight From The Soul

One of the soul divas who never got the succes at the time but only much later, nevertheless filled a great compilation album. These are singles from 1961 - 1966, some originals which were turned into bigger hits by others (Break-a-way - Tracy Ullman, Time is on my side - The Rolling Stones), showing however what a fine singer Irma Thomas was in the 60's (and still is today, see her contribution to the "I believe to my soul" album). 24 tracks from New Orleans's Queen of Soul combined with adequate linernotes.
Irma Thomas - Straight From The Soul
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(This release comes from Stateside, an EMI subsidiary, and uses "Copy Controlled" technology which sucks hairy balls. CD ripping takes roughly half the time of actually listening to this CD (close to 30 minutes) and you may also find an artifact here or there in the MP3's. You ARE encouraged ofcourse to buy the real thing although I'm tempted to make an exception for this EMI shit. This is ofcourse not Mrs. Thomas her fault and the MP3's are good enough to listen to which raises the question why this "Copy Controlled" nonsense is here in the first place. [/rant])

Disco: Walter Gibbons - Mixed with Love

2 Names are relevant here. Salsoul because it's the label and Walter Gibbons because he's the remixer. This is a collection of 12" remixes of Salsoul disco by Walter Gibbons. The objective of this 3 CD set is to provide the listener with an accurate overview of the mix master Walter Gibbons and so re-establishing his name as one of the great DJ's of the disco era. Read about Walter Gibbons here, here and here (use search). The set comes with an extensive booklet describing Walter Gibbons in his time. In short: Walter Gibbons was a talented, innovative and influential DJ.
But you might not be interested in the man at all. That leaves 3 CD's filled with disco remixes for a near endless thank-god-it's-friday feeling.

Mixed With Love - The Walter Gibbons Salsoul Anthology (tracklist)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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Warning: these MP3's are almost 300 mb in total.

60's collection: In-Kraut 66-74

"The In-Kraut 66-74, Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1964-1974" as it's full title sounds is what it says it is: hip music from Germany. The good, the bad and the obscure, it's fascinating popmusic (tracklist + review) leaning to the weird and the psychedelic.
German Marina records supplies excellent linernotes with this remarkable and diverse compilation making this CD extra worth buying.

The In-Kraut 66-74, Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1964-1974
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Triphop: De La Vega - Falling Into Place

I call it triphop but don't pin me down on it.
Among many interesting contemporary sounds from Belgium these four people made an album with a hint of electronics, jazz, soul and many more influences with a great female vocalist to top it off. Morcheeba comes to mind and if you like that I recommend listening to this, although De La Vega have their own niche. The CD is well packaged but a bit 'thin' with only the lyrics but purchase will help this young band. Belgium rocks and sounds nice and mellow too.

De La Vega - Falling Into Place
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Reggae: Scratch Walking

My favorite Jamaican producer is Lee 'Scratch' Perry although I don't like dub at all. These recordings are 'reggae' in stead of 'dub' and it's like a 'greatest hits' selection, containg only top songs and giving an overview of the width and breadth of the man's songwriting. Tracklisting.
Light up a spliff and enjoy.

Lee 'Scratch' Perry & the Upsetters - Scratch Walking
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Lionel Belasco

First go back in time. Then forget about 'western music'. This is about a superstar of his days, the early 20st century. This is about music from the Caribbean. This is about an adventurer, a band leader and a great composer. Those familiar with the soundtrack of Ghostworld may know him, here's an interesting addition to that. Lionel Belasco, child of a pianoteacher from Trinidad and a musician/operasinger with sephardic jewish roots, lead a very diverse life before enjoying the fruits of the early recording industry (read here and here but the CD booklet is the best). Be enchanted by the beautiful melodies of Lionel Belasco on this release of Rounder records.

Lionel Belasco - Goodnight Ladies and Gents
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Soul: Cheatin' soul & the southern dream of freedom

More soul. A beautiful compilation from 2005 by the german Trikont label. You want to buy this cd for the liner notes alone but the music is an absolute must-hear. This is not soul that brings a tear to your eyes, this is soul that simply punches the tears out of your eyes and makes you put the cd on replay. That good. Misery? Yes but it's even worse on this cd and it feels damn good.
This is the vocalist equivalent of the air guitar; the only thing that stops you from wailing aloud along these songs is the sheer beauty of 'em that keeps you listening quietly.
Cheatin' soul and the southern dream of freedom
Part 1
Part 2
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Soul: Bettye Lavette - I've Got My Own Hell To Raise

I'm a big fan of soul music and 2005's been good to me. I bought many compilations of record labels which is my favorite way of discovering music from before I was born. One of the artists I 'discovered' that way was Bettye LaVette, an artist who released new work last year. 'I've got my own hell to raise' are brand new recordings of somebody who sounds indestructable. Here's a record that provides a shortcut to happiness for any soul lover. Submerge yourself with mrs. LaVette and her own hell.

Bettye LaVette - I've Got My Own Hell To Raise
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Says Hello

To his brother, currently (finally) in Dubai.

Broken Flowers

Madrid, a month ago. 3 Dutchmen and some time to kill. Play pool again? The poorest player opted for a movie. "Broken Flowers", whatever, cast and director are well known names, so might aswell.
I liked the movie. It drew me in all the way 'till the, somewhat abrupt, end. Made me laugh. Me made me think. And made us 3 say: "would be nice to have the soundtrack".

Broken Flowers OST
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Now go see the film.

How do I work?

All music is from CDs I own. Ripped with CDEX (or dBpowerAMP, depending on copy-protection). I compress to 192 kbps MP3 which in general provides a good relation between quality and file size*. You are encouraged to buy CDs anyway, I provide music for evaluation only.
Files are bundled using WinRar and uploaded to RapidShare. If you're downloading a lot it's worth to become a Premium member, although it's expensive.

* Quality/file size: quality preferably as high as possible with file size as low as possible. Quality depends largely on the quality of the source material. A bootleg of a punkconcert requires less kbps than a highend studio recording of a symphony orchestra, simply put. In the end it's up to the listener; his/hers quality of playback equipment and ears. 192 kbps should be enough to provide an accurate sample for evaluation and will sound ok on most mp3 players or computerspeakers.

Beefheart but no captain

The Magic Band without the captain. These live recordings (2003) are somewhat a best-of-Beefheart and more accessible than the regular studio albums. It's Beefheart alright (the vocals are very good, the band is 'authentic') but it's more rock 'n roll than the average Beefheart-weirdness. It's a favorite of mine, great stompin' versions of Grow fins, Electricity and Big eyed beans from Venus. Track 1 is spoken word, an introduction of the band by Matt Groening, but the rest is very enjoyable.

The Magic Band - 21st Century Mirror Men
(Pass: CaesarTjalbo)

Kick off

Alan Lomax will do for the kick off. "Popular songbook" contains songs which might ring a bell, be it through Moby, be it from bands of the 70's like Led Zeppelin or Ram Jam. "Various artists" but all recorded by Alan Lomax, released on the great Rounder records.
The Zip-file (pwd: tjalbo) contains a Rar-file (pwd: caesar). Enjoy!
Alan Lomax Popular Songbook
That's INCORRECT because it's actually Presenting The Alan Lomax Collection. Please see this post.

Language, sprache, etc.

English, Deutsch, un petit peu Francais, poquito Espanyol.

Maiden voyage

Ik heb zo'n hekel aan dat geblog maar 1 rum-cola te veel doet wonderen: zie hier.
Oorzaak: onbedwingbare nieuwsgierigheid naar muziek (dàt en die rum-cola).
Doel: bedwingen nieuwsgierigheid naar muziek.
Maar: laten we vooral de verwachtingen ERG laag houden.
Alea iacta est ofzo, de kop is eraf.